Andre Derain (1880 – 1954) was an artist, sculptor, painter, and together with Henri Matisse co-founded Fauvism. Derain received his first painting lessons from his friend La Noé when he was only fifteen years old. In this same period he painted his first landscapes. He attended the "Académie Carrieère" in Paris between 1898 and 1900, while at the same time he was working with Vlaminck and Matisse in his studio. The three artists became important friends. Derain joined the military and this interrupted his studies of painting for three years after which he continued his studies at the "Académie Julian." In the summer of 1905 Derain exhibited his Fauvist art at the Paris "Salon d'Automne." He was with Matisse in Collioure that very same year.
In 1908 Derain spent several months at Avignon with Picasso, and was influenced by Cubism, and two years later, he participated in the Munich exhibition of the "Neue Künstlervereinigung", and in 1910 he participated in the "Blaue Reiter" exhibition. In the period that began in 1912, the artist painted most of his original works, which were shown in New York at the "Armory Show" and in Berlin in 1913 at the "Erster Herbstsalon." During the 1920s he mainly stayed in Southern France, where he painted his harlequins, famouse pierrots, and many dancers. Derain was awarded the Carnegie Prize in London in 1928, which is linked with a large exhibition. From 1928 to 1930, Derain held further important exhibitions in Brussels, New York, Paris, and Berlin. During the 1930s Derain received many commissions to design decoration and costumes by the Paris opera. He died in a car crash in 1954.
