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PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, CHICAGO

ATHENS

ATHENS

46.5 by 56cm., 18¼ by 22in.

signed l.l.; titled on the reverse

oil on canvas

This work will be included in the second volume of the Dufy catalogue raisonné being prepared by Jacques Bailly.

PROVENANCE

Private Collection, U.S.A.

NOTE

Jean Dufy took great pleasure in recording on canvas the sights and sounds of his travels. In September 1955, Dufy embarked on what was to be his only sojourn in Greece. The artist wrote to his friend and patron Jacob M. Goldschmidt on September 3, 1955, "Je partirai lundi soir de Paris à 22h pour Marseille et le mardi à 10 h le bateau Lamartine appareille pour Le Pirée...C'est pour moi une grande joie de faire ce voyage" (Archives of Jean Dufy, courtesy of Jacques Bailly).

The present work is a bird's eye view of Athens, featuring the Plaka in the foreground and the Parthenon and Temple of Athena Nike atop the Acropolis in the distance. Relying on his signature quick, impressionistic brushstrokes, Dufy painted this scene in a jewel-like palette, the green of the cypress trees, coral-coloured roofs and azure sky creating a harmonious and inviting snapshot of Athens. Dufy has captured the glory of Athens with the fresh eye of a visitor charmed by its beauty and history.