“Who was Andr\u00e9 Derain?” I ask you standing here on All\u00e9e Andr\u00e9 Derain. This street in the 12th arrondissement of Paris pays homage to a great French artist.
All\u00e9e Andr\u00e9 Derain is not just any street. It is a testament to Derain’s impact on the art world. The street is situated in the Bel-Air district. It stretches 60 meters long and 5 meters wide.
The All\u00e9e Andr\u00e9 Derain got its name in 1987. Before that it was known as voie AX/14. This name was assigned during the development of the ZAC Sahel-Montempoivre. The street’s name is a tribute to Andr\u00e9 Derain. He was a French painter born in 1880 and died in 1954.
Derain was a founder of Fauvism. This art movement used strong colors. After 1918 he shifted toward a classic realism. He also designed sets and costumes for ballets. He was also a sculptor, illustrator and writer.
Derain began painting very early in his life. He painted alongside Maurice de Vlaminck. They painted outdoors around Paris. In 1905 Derain spent a summer with Henri Matisse in Collioure. He became one of the Fauve painters. The 1905 Salon d’Automne exhibition revealed him to the public.
In 1909 Daniel-Henri Kahnweiler commissioned wood engravings from Derain. These illustrated Guillaume Apollinaire’s L’Enchanteur pourrissant.
After 1911 Derain briefly experimented with Cubism. He then changed his style to a more traditional one. During World War I Derain served on the front. He did not paint then. Yet his reputation continued to grow in Paris.
In 1916 Paul Guillaume exhibited Derain’s work in his gallery. In 1919 Serge de Diaghilev asked Derain to design sets for La Boutique fantasque. This began a career as a decorator that lasted until 1953.
During the 1920s Derain was seen as the best representative of French tradition. In 1928 he received the Carnegie Prize. This gave him international prestige. His participation in a trip to Nazi Germany in 1941 hurt his reputation forever.
Derain remained under contract with Paul Guillaume from 1923 until Guillaume’s death. Of the dozens of works from the 1920s and 1930s owned by Guillaume, his widow Domenica kept twenty-eight.
Now as you stroll along All\u00e9e Andr\u00e9 Derain take a moment. Think about the artist’s journey. He was at the forefront of modern art before embracing classicism. His legacy lives on in the art world and right here. It is preserved in this Parisian street that bears his name.