Color lithograph on BFK Rives
France, circa 1950, Jean Dufy (1888-1964) French artist
Signed in pencil lower right Jean Dufy
Numbered in pencil lower left 113/220
Published by the Guilde de la Gravure, Paris, with blind stamp lower left
Full margins with deckled edges
Image dimensions: 19 x 25 in. (48.4 x 63.5 cm.)
Sheet dimensions: 22 1/8 x 30 1/8 in. (56.2 x 76.5 cm.)
Very good condition
Estimate $1,000-$2,000

This vibrant print by French artist Jean Dufy explodes with bold color and lively subject matter. Depicting a dynamic circus, the ringmaster stands at center in a blue suit, while horses prance around him and a band plays in the background. The composition is divided into three distinct areas, separated by areas of color in yellow, red and green.

Executed circa 1950, this color lithograph on BFK Rives is signed and numbered one hundred and thirteen from an edition of two hundred and twenty. Published by the Guilde de la Gravure, Paris, the work has full margins with deckled edges and measures 19 x 25 inches. Pale toning at sheet edges, otherwise in good condition with no evidence of tears, stains or repairs.

Jean Dufy (French, 1888-1964)

Jean Dufy was born in Le Havre in 1888, the seventh of eleven children. After his military service, he moved to Paris in 1912, where he met Derain, Braque, Picasso and Apollinaire. His preferred subject matter included flowers, animals and circus scenes in compositions featuring an incredible array of colors. In addition, Dufy worked as a porcelain painter in the workshops of Théodore Haviland in Limoges for over 30 years. In the 1950s and 60s Dufy traveled extensively through Europe and North Africa where he found new motifs for his works, though his favorite subject to which he often returned was Paris; In his oil paintings and watercolors, Jean Dufy chose to represent the city using a constantly evolving creative process dominated by a harmony of blue tones. For Jean, blue was an insatiable source of inspiration for the Gates of Paris, the streets, the horse-drawn carriages, the Eiffel Tower, the sky, and the Seine. Dufy’s works are held in numerous museums worldwide, including the Musée National dArt Moderne, Paris; Centre Pompidou, Paris; the Albertina, Vienna; the Art Institute of Chicago; and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

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