I am a groupie of Dufy.

　I first encountered Raoul Dufy in Kobe in 1983, if I remember correctly. I went to see the exhibit that came to Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art.

　The space configuration with target lines, color, and the light were misaligned with blue and red scattered around. It was transparent and had a unique rhythm. It was moving, even though it was a painting. It was bursting. It had snapping sounds. When I saw the happy painting style with the lines, colors, and lights that I have never seen anywhere else before, I believed for the first time in my life that “Ah, I like this painter.”

　10 years later since then. Because of my staying in Paris, I went to many places. Musée d'Orsay, Pompidou Centre, and Musée de l'Orangerie. I cannot remember how many times I stood in front of the giant mural “La Fée Électricité” at Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. Every time I visited the galleries in the city, I recognized that being wealthy meant buying the artworks. 20 years has passed and those dreams are still far out of reach.

　

　I also went to his hometown of Le Havre. The suppressed colors of his young era were of Normandy. However, the lights in Nice that painted many landscapes, the lights in Vence that painted the townscape, and the shine of Côte d'Azur in southern France brought out the true value of Dufy.

　There used to be “Musee Dufy (Dufy Museum)” on the beach in Nice. In 1990s, I visited there several times. It has been moved to “Musée des beaux-arts de Lyon (Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon)” since then. When I went to Nice recently, I went back to worship his works. It is free admission.

(A mural in Lyon)

　And the specialty of “Lyon Museum” here is the cafe with Dufy’s mural. Rather, it is Dufy with a cafe. Open the window, hang out with the sunlit Dufy, and sip on your tea. This alone is worth coming to Lyon. At least for me.

　There are many of his works in Japan, too. “Open Window, Nice” is at Shimane Art Museum at Lake Shinji. There are good pieces at the Museum of Modern Art, Ibaraki as well. National Museum of Western Art, Bridgestone Museum of Art, and Pola Museum of Art. I have been to most of them.

　I went to take a peek at the Dufy exhibit at Shibuya Bunkamura recently, and I was surprised how many pieces I have never seen before. I felt that I needed to see more. So, I went to the Dufy exhibit at Osaka Abeno Harukas, even though the exhibited works were the same as the ones in Tokyo.

　NHK Nichiyo Bijutsukan (NHK Sunday Art Museum) had a special program on that exhibit. I thought he was expressing joy through colors. However, Mr. Katsuhiko Hibino said Dufy was asking questions with the colors. Yup, maybe he is right.

　Mr. Ken Mogi praised Dufy’s blue as something that connected everything. The firm method that dyes the sky, living creatures, and furniture in blue may include such message. His paintings are pop, simple, and down-to-earth. It accepts any interpretation with a wide-open laugh.

　However, Dufy learned the freedom of paintings by Matisse, tried free expression, and struggled. I guess it is easier to live inside of the box for ordinary people like me and a prodigy like Dufy.

　Since he tried to remove his expression boundary and establish his own style, there must have been many challenges. We are fortunate to enjoy that struggle as growth and change.

　His studio remains in Montmartre in Paris. I will go visit in the summer.