André Derain, 1904-1921

An exhibition of works by André Derain made in the years 1904-1921. Considered one of the greatest exponents of Fauvism, Derain was also a Cubist artist and, like Picasso, played a key role in the artistic experiments that altered the course of modern art in the twentieth century.

The show brings together a set of works that André Derain painted between 1904 and 1921. This was an intense period in artistic terms, as the formal experiments being developed would lead to radical changes in the evolution of modern art in which both Derain and Picasso would play a key role. The period in question witnessed the growing friendship between the two artists, a relationship that lasted until the outbreak of World War One.

As well as being one of the most prominent Fauve artists, Derain was also a practitioner of Cubism; in a critique published in 1913, Guillaume Apollinaire magnified his role: 'Picasso's Cubism stemmed from a movement initiated by André Derain'. Historical perspective makes it clear that the two movements are but two expressions of one and the same reflection.