- Kees van Dongen
Infobox Artist
bgcolour = #6495ED
name = Kees van Dongen
imagesize = 200px
caption = Plaque of Kees van Dongen inDelfshaven ,Rotterdam
birthname = Cornelis Theodorus Maria van Dongen
birthdate =26 January 1877
location =Rotterdam ,Netherlands
deathdate =28 May 1968
deathplace =Monte Carlo ,Monaco
nationality = Dutch, French
field =Painting
training =
movement =Fauvism
works =
patrons =
influenced by =
influenced =
awards =Cornelis Theodorus Maria van Dongen (
January 26 ,1877 –May 28 ,1968 ), usually known as Kees van Dongen or just van Dongen, was a Dutch painter and one of the Fauves. He gained a reputation for his sensuous, at times garish, portraits.Life and work
Kees van Dongen was born in
Delfshaven , in the suburbs ofRotterdam . In 1892, at age 16, Kees van Dongen started his studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Rotterdam. During this period from 1892 to 1897, van Dongen frequented the Red Quarter seaport area, where he drew scenes of sailors and prostitutes.In 1897 he lived in
Paris for several months. In December 1899 he returned to Paris to joinAugusta Preitinger ("Guus"), whom he had met at the Academy. They married on July 11, 1901 (they divorced in 1921). He began to exhibit in Paris, including the controversial 1905 exhibition "Salon d'Automne", in a room featuringHenri Matisse amongst others. The bright colours of this group of artists led to them being called Fauves ('Wild Beasts'). (He was also briefly a member of the GermanExpressionist groupDie Brücke .)In 1906 the couple moved to the
Bateau Lavoir at 13 rue Ravignan, where they were friends with the circle surroundingPablo Picasso and his girlfriendFernande Olivier .In addition to selling his paintings, van Dongen also gained an income by selling satirical sketches to the newspaper '
Revue Blanche ' and organising very successful costume balls inMontparnasse to gain extra income.Under the influence of
Jasmy Jacob , amongst others, Kees van Dongen developed the lush colours of his Fauvist style. This gained him a solid reputation with the French bourgeoisie and a resultant profitable lifestyle.In 1926 he was awarded the
Legion of Honour and in 1927 theOrder of the Crown of Belgium . In 1929 he received French nationality and two of his works were admitted to the Luxembourg.The social and commercial appeal of his later work (which includes a 1958 portrait of
Brigitte Bardot ) did not match the artistic promise or thebohemian eroticism of his earlier years.Kees van Dongen died in his home in
Monte Carlo in 1968.Further reading
* Ed. des Courières (1925). "Van Dongen" Henri Floury, Éditeur.
* Jan Juffermans (2003). "Kees Van Dongen: The Graphic Work" Lund Humphries Publishers, ISBN 0-85331-876-Xources
* Rudolf Engers (2002), "Het kleurrijke leven van Kees van Dongen" Scriptum Art, ISBN 90-5594-266-9
* Gaston Diehl, "Van Dongen", Crown Publishers, Inc, New York.External links
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