the Colorful World of Raoul Dufy: A Journey into the Life and Works of the French master Painter at HYUNDAI Seoul

The exhibition "la mélodie du bonheur" by Raoul Dufy, the French painter and master of contemporary art, is on display from Wednesday until September 6 at ALT.1 on the 6th floor of The HYUNDAI Seoul in Yeouido, Seoul.

The exhibition showcases around 130 monumental masterpieces of Raoul Dufy's paintings, prints, drawings, tapestries, and ceramics, and presents them to South Korean viewers.

Raoul Dufy (1877~1953) was renowned for his colorful and decorative style, and his contributions to designing ceramics, textiles, furniture, and public spaces. He was also a draftsman, printmaker, book illustrator, and scenic designer.

The Musee National d'Art Moderne in France is home to the largest collection of his works. After his passing, Raoul Dufy's wife, Emilienne Dufy, donated all of his lifelong work to The Musee National d'Art Moderne, including the works showcase at this exhibition.

The chief curator of the Center Pompidou, Christian Briand, who is considered the highest authority on Raoul Dufy, carefully selected original works for this exhibition. The curator divided the exhibition space into 12 detailed sections under the main theme of 'a mélodie du bonheur.'
 ▲ La Fée Electricité [1952 - 1953] © Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI/Georges Meguerditchian/Dist. RMN-GP Section 1 bears the subtitle "L'Héritage impressionniste from Impressionism." This segment serves as a space where one may encounter Raoul Dufy's early works, which originated in Le Havre, an industrial port city in the northwestern region of France's Normandy. As a descendant of the Impressionists of his time, Dufy began to gain recognition as a talented landscape painter on the world stage.

▲ Les Cavaliers sous bois [vers 1931 - 1932] © Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI/Jean-François Tomasian/Dist. RMN-GPSection 2 is entitled "Dufy fauve." From 1906, he was an active participant in the Fauves movement, which rejected tradition in favor of revolution. At that time, Dufy and other Fauvist painters employed intense colors and light brushstrokes to create landscapes and portraits.

▲ La Dame en rose [1908] © Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI/Bertrand Prévost/Dist. RMN-GPThe subtitle of Section 3 is "Une saison cubiste." In 1908, Raoul Dufy experimented with the Cubist technique alongside his friend Georges Braque. Influenced by Paul Cézanne, Dufy painted the Estaque landscape near Marseilles in southern France from various perspectives.

▲ Le violon rouge [vers 1948] © Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI/Dist. RMN-GPSection 4 bears the subtitle "Une Rénovation d’art populaire." Shortly before World War I, Raoul Dufy, who had a passion for popular art, drew the world's attention with his innovative woodcut illustrations for poet Guillaume Apollinaire's "Le Bestiaire ou Cortège d'Orphée."

▲ La plage de Sainte-Adresse [1904] © Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI/Dist. RMN-GPSection 5 is entitled "La Mode." Collaborating with a well-known textile manufacturer in Lyon, He worked with famous fashion designer Paul Poiret of the time and produced numerous textile designs.

▲ La Rue pavoisée [1906] © Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI/Georges Meguerditchian/Dist. RMN-GPSection 6 bears the subtitle of "Arts décoratifs." During this period, He began developing his own unique painting style characterized by natural, vivid, and transparent hues. His innate decorative talent was also showcased in his creation of numerous ceramics in collaboration with the potter Llorens Artigas from 1924 onwards.

▲ Les trois baigneuses [1919] © Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI/Jean-François Tomasian/Dist. RMN-GPSection 7 is subtitled "Mer et chevaux."  He produced several works inspired by the whimsical imagery of a coastal town populated by small horses, drawing from various pictorial inspirations.

▲ Le Panthéon [1924 - 1929] © Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI/Georges Meguerditchian/Dist. RMN-GPThe subtitle of Section 8 is "Le regard voyageur." As a well-traveled individual, He freely depicted the distinctive landscapes of each country he visited, including Italy, Spain, England, and the United States.

▲ Le paddock à Deauville [1930] © Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI/Jacqueline Hyde/Dist. RMN-GPSection 9 bears the subtitle of "Portraits." He possessed a strong affinity for portraiture, having painted portraits of his wife Emilienne Dufy as his model since an early age. Later in his career, he frequently painted portraits of notable figures. One of the greatest masterpieces of his life was the family portrait commissioned by the Kesseler family of Britain in 1930.

▲ Le Panthéon [1924 - 1929] © Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI/Georges Meguerditchian/Dist. RMN-GPSection 10 is titled “Grand Decors”. During the 1930s, He devoted himself to creating large decorative murals. His masterpiece, La Fée Électricité, was exhibited at the 1937 World's Fair in Paris. This exhibition is also where visitors can view his only surviving lithograph series, La Fée Électricité.

▲ Autoportrait [1898] © Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI/Jean-François Tomasian/Dist. RMN-GPSection 11 is titled “Ateliers”. One of his favorite subjects to depict was his own studio, especially the studio gelma located beneath the hill of Montmartre in Paris. Coming from a family of musicians, He was also an accomplished amateur musician. This section showcases his works related to music and his atelier.

▲ François Kollar [1904 -1979] Raoul Dufy en train de peindre la Fée Électricité, Saint-Ouen, 1937 © Ministère de la Culture - Médiathèque du patrimoine et de la photographie, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / François Kollar Section 12 is titled “Lumière noir”. He utilized a single shade of black to depict his hometown, which was almost completely destroyed during World War II. This technique allows his works to brilliantly shine depending on the direction of the sunlight.

The exhibition is hosted by The Musee National d'Art Moderne in France, Hyundai Department Store, and GNC Media, and is officially sponsored by the French Embassy in Korea.

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Jason Yim, yimjongho1969@gmail.com