Bidspirit auction | Jean Dufy ”Au Spectacle” Gouache

Jean Dufy ”Au Spectacle” Gouache & Graphite on Paper - Hand signed and dated in the lower right.  Date: 1923 Provenance: Gallery label from Wally F Galleries on the reverse.    Image: 17 1/4” x 12 1/2”  Frame: 27” x 22 1/2”    Condition: The image is in good condition with bright and pigmented colors. See images for details.    Artist Bio: Jean Dufy (1888–1964), younger brother of Raoul, was essentially self-taught, turning to painting after seeing Matisse's work at a Le Havre exhibition in 1906; settling in Montmartre after the First World War he became acquainted with Andre Derain, Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso. He is best known for Parisian street and society scenes, circuses, horse races, theatre, and above all orchestras and musicians. Watercolor and gouache are central rather than secondary to his practice — the medium suits his rapid calligraphic notation, transparent washes over a quick graphite scaffold, figures indicated in a few flicked strokes with ink-black accents anchoring a high-key palette. He also designed for Theodore Haviland of Limoges for more than thirty years.