RAOUL DUFY (1877-1953) Le Pin in Marseille, 1903 Watercolor... Lot 565

RAOUL DUFY (1877-1953) Le Pin in Marseille, 1903 Watercolor on paper, signed, titled and dated lower right. Size: 47 x 57 cm Provenance : - Kunsthandel M. L. de Boer b.v, 1980, - Private collection, Monaco Accompanied by a copy of the purchase invoice and certificate of authenticity by Mr. Maurice Laffaille and mme Fanny Guillon-Laffaille dated 1979 A French painter, designer and engraver born in Le Havre, he is also known as a book illustrator, fabric designer, ceramist, tapestry designer and interior and theater decorator. From 1893, he attended Charles Lhullier's evening classes at the École municipale des beaux-arts in Le Havre. He met Raimond Lecourt, René de Saint-Delis and Othon Friesz, with whom he later shared a studio in Montmartre and who remained one of his most loyal friends. He paints Norman landscapes in watercolor. Influenced by Fauvism, and in particular by the paintings Matisse exhibited at the 1903 Salon d'Automne, he worked with Othon Friesz, Raimond Lecourt and Albert Marquet on paintings of flag-draped streets, village festivals and beaches, and, realizing the vital importance of Paul Cézanne, abandoned Fauvism. He executed studies of trees, horses, studio models and still lifes. Also from 1903, Dufy stays in Martigues, Provence, and paints a series of landscapes depicting the town and its canals. He travels to L'Estaque, near Marseille, with Georges Braque. They painted, often side by side, the same motifs as Cézanne, with Dufy signing Arbres à L'Estaque. It is from this period that our painting "Le Pin à Marseille" dates from 1903, with a composition in which the trees take on such particular importance, tormented by a great Mistral. Brother of Jean Dufy, Raoul Dufy will go down as one of the most important artists of his time.