Retrospective of French Fauvist painter Raoul Dufy opens in The Hyundai Seoul

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Retrospective of French Fauvist painter Raoul Dufy opens in The Hyundai Seoul

Published: 25 May. 2023, 15:16 Updated: 25 May. 2023, 17:33

″The Atelier in the Guelma alley″ (1935-52) [CENTRE POMPIDOU]

The works of French Fauvist painter Raoul Dufy (1877-1953) are being flaunted in Seoul.

At The Hyundai Seoul, an exhibition is filled with works from the Centre Pompidou’s extensive collection. Chief curator Christian Briend stressed that it’s filled with works that “have never previously been in the hands of any art collector.”

The Centre Pompidou was able to acquire such an enormous range of Dufy’s works after his death when his wife Émilienne Dufy bequeathed 1,600 pieces directly to the French State in 1963 and consequently into the hands of the Centre Pompidou. Dufy had been highly attached to his works and owned them until his death 10 years prior.

“Raoul Dufy: The Melody of Happiness” is co-organized by Centre Pompidou, GNC Media, a local exhibition organizer, and The Hyundai Seoul. It is being held at the department store’s ALT.1 gallery in Yeouido, western Seoul.

″The Street with flags in Le Havre″ (1906) [CENTRE POMPIDOU]

The retrospective features 130 specially-chosen works that the Centre Pompidou possesses. It took three years just to curate and prepare the exhibition, and it required collecting Dufy’s pieces that had been scattered all over France to bring them to Seoul, Hong Sung-il, CEO of GNC Media, said.

Briend, chief curator of the Centre Pompidou’s modern art collections department, explained that he is an “expert” who has studied Dufy for the past 30 years.

“I tried to fully portray Dufy’s artistic journey through many different aspects with an educational purpose,” Briend said. The show is divided into 12 sections and goes beyond oil paintings to include decorative art, like ceramics, textiles and illustrations.

Briend was resolute in the artistic value for this exhibition, adding that it includes pieces that have never been shown to the world before: the textile piece “Doe, Birds and Butterflies” (1910) and the blue ceramic mural “Bather with shell” (c. 1925).

"Bather with shell" (c. 1925) by Raoul Dufy [SHIN MIN-HEE]

Dufy’s artistic world may span across several genres, but in the end they can be summed up to the exhibition title: “The Melody of Happiness.” Briend explained that he got the name from the French translated title of the American film “The Sound of Music” (1965).

“I thought this would be the best way to explain Dufy,” Briend said. “Dufy was born in a family of musicians so he was always very interested in music, even to the point that he always had his gramophone on while he worked on his art. You’ll see later in the exhibition that there is a section depicting how dedicated he was to music and instruments through his works. I think happiness is the perfect word to represent Dufy. He was an artist frequently associated with happiness and didn’t lose hope even in hard times like the first World War. I think it’s the optimism that Dufy had that’s something that the world needs right now.”

″The Horsemen in the woods (the Kessler family)″ (c. 1931-32) [CENTRE POMPIDOU]

“Raoul Dufy: The Melody of Happiness” continues until Sept. 6. The Hyundai Seoul is open from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Mondays to Thursdays, and 8:30 p.m. from Fridays to Sundays. Tickets are 20,000 won ($15) for adults.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]