Kees Van Dongen: From Fauvism to Les Années folles

The artist Kees Van Dongen (1877–1968) was born and raised in the Netherlands and studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Rotterdam. At the age of 20, he spent a few months living in Paris before returning to Rotterdam but moved to Paris for good just two years later, settling in Montmartre and establishing his own studio. Even as a young artist in the Netherlands, Van Dongen’s paintings had been characterized by bold brushstrokes, a style that led him to an early interest in Neo-Impressionism. He later came to the forefront of the Fauvist movement, painting with vivid, saturated, and highly expressive colors. Van Dongen’s name soon became synonymous with the grace and sensuality of the human body—especially the female form, which he depicted in a resplendent palette that was also evocative of the artist’s internal feelings.

This exhibition examines how an extraordinary artist came into his own as a Fauvist painter. Several facets of his career are highlighted, from his studies of color and form in the years leading up to World War I to his favorite subject—the human body. Also covered is his work during the Roaring Twenties, which were known in France as the Années Folles, or “crazy years.”

During the 1920s, Van Dongen began mingling with members of high society, where he was in demand as a portraitist. His portraiture was typified by slim, elongated, graceful figures depicted with a refined palette. This style earned Van Dongen high praise among the French bourgeoisie.

This exhibition—the first Van Dongen exhibition to open at a Japanese museum in 44 years—is divided into three sections: From Neo-Impressionism to Fauvism, After Fauvism, and the Années Folles. Through a variety of exceptional works gathered from around Japan and the world, the exhibition highlights the artist’s talent for drawing human figures and his sensual depictions of the human body, both evident throughout his career. It also explores how the various colors and forms that defined each period of his career came together in beautiful harmony.