Kees van Dongen artwork • painting • previously for sale The Marchesa Luisa Casati

The famous Fauvist Kees van Dongen is mainly known for his portraits and figure representations, although he also painted cityscapes, still lifes and Dutch landscapes. In his early years at the Rotterdam Academy he produced Impressionist works in subdued colours, influenced by Hague and Amsterdam Impressionism, which still very much determined the artistic climate of the late 19th century. After his first visit to Paris in 1897, his style became freer and more light and colour entered his paintings. Van Dongen’s participation in the Salon d’Automne of 1905 marks his transition to Fauvism. He established his reputation as a ‘peintre de la femme’ and became a portraitist of Paris’s beau monde, while also painting prostitutes and courtesans.