Although Raoul Dufy is usually regarded as a Fauvist, Les Franciscaines – a convent-turned-cultural centre in Deauville, 45 minutes by ferry from the painter’s birthplace of Le Havre – is drawing on its own collection and that of the Musée national d’art moderne in Paris to trace the twists and turns of his career (until 20 September). The show begins with three self-portraits from three distinct periods, which give a sense of how deftly he reinvented his style. From there it proceeds from youthful dabblings in Impressionism and cubism to later work in ceramics and textiles. Music is a running theme: Dufy frequently depicted musicians in action and the rhythms of modern music inspired his energetic style of painting, which is distinguished by vivid colours and fluidity of line. Among the highlights is Black Cargo Ships, Dufy’s final series, in which patches of black bleed into colourful harbour scenes to evoke the devastation of Le Havre during the Second World War.
Find out more from Les Franciscaines’ website.
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