Jean Dufy

Deauville – The Artists – Dufy, Jean

This page forms part of a series of pages dedicated to the many artists who painted in Deauville. A full list of all the artists with a link to their works can be found at the bottom of this page.

Jean Dufy
Jean Dufy

Movement(s): Cubism, Fauvism, Impressionism, Modernism

Jean Dufy was born in Le Havre, France on March 12, 1888 into a large family. His older brother was the well-known painter Raoul Dufy, who became a mentor throughout Jean’s career. Jean Dufy had received formal education at the “Ecole Primaire Superieure du Havre“.

Upon completing his schooling at age 16, Dufy took a job as an itinerant clerk with a French overseas import company, and later as a secretary on the transatlantic liner La Savole which traveled between Le Havre and New York City.

In 1906 Dufy visited an exhibition put on by the “Cercle de l’Art Moderne” in Le Havre, where he discovered the work of Picasso, Derain, with whom become friends years later, and Matisse, whose painting “Fenêtre ouverte à Coillourea” urged him to decide to pursue a career as a painter. In January 1914 his watercolours were presented at the Galerie Berthe Weill.

Shortly after his first exhibition, Dufy was drafted into World War I as a horse soldier. After serving in the military for two years, in 1912 the young artist moved to Paris and settle in Montmartre to participate in the Parisian art scene.

In 1920 he returned to Paris and settled in the artist quarter Montmartre, next door to Georges Braque. Braque, a friend of his brother Raoul Dufy, encouraged him to experiment with the Cubist style. Another of Raoul’s friends, Othon Friesz, exposed him to the Fauve movement. He also spent time there with Picasso, Apollinaire, and Derain, among others.

Two months after the death of his wife, Jean Dufy died on May 12, 1964, in La Boissiere in the village of Boussay.

Click here to read Jean Dufy’s full bio on Wikipedia.

NOTE: Click on any image below for a bigger version (no new window will open).

1941 Jean Dufy - Poiret's models in Deauville
1941 Jean Dufy – Poiret’s models in Deauville
1941 Jean Dufy - Race at Deauville
1941 Jean Dufy – Race at Deauville

Jean Dufy painted in a few cities in Normandy. Here are the cities and places he painted in Normandy (a link “” to his works in those cities will appear below when published):

  • Brittany
    • Douarnenez
  • Centre-Val de Loire
    • Bossay-sur-Claise
    • Descartes
    • Martizay
    • Preuilly-sur-Claise
  • Grand Est
    • Verdun
  • Normandy
  • Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur
    • Beaulieu-sur-Mer
    • Nice
    • Saint-Tropez
    • Villefranche-sur-Mer

Deauville was (and still is) a popular place to paint. Here are the artists we found that worked in the city and its surroundings. When an artist’s work is published by us, we’ll show a link (“⇠“) to their works of art. A “*” indicates that the artist did NOT paint directly in Deauville, instead worked in Deauville’s surroundings.

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