Kees van Dongen (1877 - 1968)
Kees van Dongen
Les Musiciens Ambulants
Signed lower right
Black chalk and watercolour on paper
45 x 27,8 cm.
Provenance:
Private collection, New York
To be sold with a certificate from the Wildenstein Institute, Paris
Kees van Dongen
Le gosse
Signed with initials lower left
Chalk and watercolour on paper
36,9 x 16,4 cm.
Provenance:
Collection Dolly van Dongen (daughter of the artist).
Private collection, Paris
Artists
Kees van Dongen
(1877 - 1968)
In his early years the Dutch artist Kees van Dongen was mainly inspired by the artist Theophile Steinlen; this was one of the reasons why he moved to Paris in 1900. His work belonged to what the art critics named Les Fauves, a group of artists that caused a great deal of controversy during the first decade of the twentieth century. Together with Henri Matisse, Van Dongen was seen as one of the leaders of this artistic group.
The use of bright colours is one of van Dongen's trademarks, particularly in his female nudes. After 1918 he began to paint more portraits of members of the French society. His work and flamboyant lifestyle were well known.