: "Andre Derain: The London Paintings" will open October 27 at the
Courtauld Institute of Art. It is the first exhibition devoted to
the artist's extraordinary series of large-scale paintings of
London, which he produced between 1906 and 1907. This exhibit
brings together in one room 12 of the finest examples of these
important Fauve works from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New
York; the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; the Musee
d'Orsay, Paris; London's Tate; and the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza,
Madrid; allowing their impact as a group to be appreciated for
the first time.
When the Parisian dealer Ambroise Vollard dispatched Derain
(1880-1954) to London in March 1906, the young artist had much to
live up to. The previous year Derain had emerged as one of the
most radical artists in Paris following the exhibition at the
Salon d'Automne where Derain and Henri Matisse had first revealed
their groundbreaking new approach to painting.
Such was their break with conventions of painting that the critic
Louis Vauxcelles branded the group Fauves, or wild beasts.
Derain's excursion to London was designed to secure this radical
avant-garde status by producing a series of paintings that would
rival Claude Monet's celebrated London views, which had been
exhibited to huge acclaim in 1904. Neither he nor Vollard could
have anticipated the results.
The London commission was an extraordinary achievement for the
young artist. Derain painted a total of 30 canvases, of which 29
are known today. Presented at the Courtauld Institute of Art
Gallery, in proximity to many of the views portrayed, the
exhibition will provide a significant contribution to the
understanding of this pivotal moment in the history of Twentieth
Century art.
Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery is at Sommerset House,
Strand. For information 020 7848 2526 or www.courtauld.ac.uk.
