Dufy designed over five thousand textile patterns during his career. In 1912, the Lyons silk firm Bianchini-Ferier signed him to a contract that lasted twenty years. The fashion designer Paul Poiret had already set up a dedicated studio called La Petite Usine in 1911 solely to print Dufy's fabric designs. He started as a Fauvist alongside Matisse, but his pivot into applied and decorative arts was considered a betrayal by fine art purists.
Key facts
Biography
He was born in Le Havre in 1877, one of nine children. His most ambitious work, La Fee Electricite, is sixty metres wide and ten metres tall, painted across 250 plywood panels in ten months for the 1937 Paris International Exposition. It features 110 historical figures and is now permanently installed at the Musee d'Art Moderne in Paris. It is one of the largest paintings ever made.
He developed severe polyarthritis from 1937 and moved to the south of France for his health. He was one of the first European artists to receive experimental cortisone treatment in America in the early 1950s, which temporarily restored his ability to paint. He died in 1953.
Timeline
- 1877Born into a large family in Le Havre, Normandy. He left school at 14 to work for a coffee-importing company.
- 1895Began taking evening art classes at Le Havre's Ecole des Beaux-Arts at 18, where he met Othon Friesz. The two would later share a studio in Montmartre.
- 1905Saw Matisse's Luxe, Calme et Volupte at the Salon des Independants at 28 in Paris, an encounter that redirected his art towards Fauvism's bold colour.
- 1909Began designing textiles and stationery for couturier Paul Poiret at 32 in Paris, launching a parallel career in decorative arts that lasted decades.
- 1920Developed his distinctive mature style at 43, characterised by rapid calligraphic brushwork and joyful colour laid independently of drawn outlines.
- 1937Completed La Fee Electricite for the Exposition Internationale in Paris at 60, one of the largest paintings ever made, celebrating the history of electricity across 600 square metres.
- 1950Travelled to Boston at 73 for experimental cortisone treatment after rheumatoid arthritis severely impaired his hands and his ability to paint.
- 1953Died at Forcalquier in Provence at 75, months after receiving the grand prize for painting at the Venice Biennale in 1952.
Notable Works
Tap to view larger.
Where to See Raoul Dufy
11 museums worldwide.
- 9 works
Musée Cantini
Marseille, France
-
6 works
Detroit Institute of Arts
Midtown Detroit, United States
-
5 works
Statens Museum for Kunst
Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark
Related Artists
Frequently Asked Questions
Raoul dufy art movement?
Raoul Dufy started as a Fauvist.What medium did raoul dufy use?
Raoul Dufy used gouache and watercolour on paper. He also painted in oils.What style is raoul dufy?
Raoul Dufy developed a personal style based on line drawing and watercolour techniques. He was influenced by the Fauvist handling of colour.When did raoul dufy die?
Raoul Dufy died in 1953 at the age of 76.Where can i see raoul dufy paintings?
Raoul Dufy's works can be seen at Musée National d'Art Moderne, Musée d'art moderne de Paris, National Gallery of Art, and 2 other museums worldwide.Where did raoul dufy live?
Raoul Dufy was born in Le Havre, France. Later in life, he moved to the south of France for his health.Raoul dufy is associated with which art movement?
Raoul Dufy is associated with the Fauves art movement.When was raoul dufy born?
Raoul Dufy was born in 1877 in France. Raoul Dufy died in 1953, aged 76.Who is raoul dufy?
Raoul Dufy was a French artist born in 1877.Who was raoul dufy?
Maurice de Vlaminck described Raoul Dufy as unquestionable and more original than Henri Matisse. Vlaminck said that Dufy simply thinks of his painting.Which movement did raoul dufy belong to?
Raoul Dufy belonged to the Fauves movement.
Sources
Editorial draws on the following primary and tertiary references for Raoul Dufy.
- [1] museum Milwaukee Art Museum Used for: museum holdings.
- [2] museum Brooklyn Museum Used for: museum holdings.
- [3] museum Museum Barberini Used for: museum holdings.
- [4] museum Buffalo AKG Art Museum Used for: museum holdings.
- [5] museum Allen Memorial Art Museum Used for: museum holdings.
- [6] museum Musée Hyacinthe-Rigaud Used for: museum holdings.
- [7] book Masterpieces of western art : a history of art in 900 individual studies from the Gothic to the present day Used for: biography, museum holdings, stylistic analysis.
- [8] book Carol Strickland and John Boswell, The Annotated Mona Lisa _ba crash course in art history from prehistoric to post-modern _cCarol Strickland and John Boswell Used for: stylistic analysis.
- [9] book Carol Strickland and John Boswell, The Annotated Mona Lisa _ba crash course in art history from prehistoric to post-modern _cCarol Strickland and John Boswell_2 Used for: stylistic analysis.
- [10] book Nathalia Brodskaya, The Fauves Used for: biography, museum holdings, stylistic analysis.
- [11] book Brodskai︠a︡, Natalʹi︠a︡ Valentinovna, The Fauves _ Art of Century Used for: biography, museum holdings, stylistic analysis.
Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-05-31. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.
Editorial standardsMethodologyCorrectionsAI disclosureAbout the editorial teamCitation ledger