A classic piece by Raoul Dufy (1877-1953), the French Fauvist painter whose colourful style was ahead of its time, is auctioning in a Belgium art sale. Le nu aux arums (or The Nude With Lilies) dates to 1929.
Dufy's distinctive style influenced other media aside from painting, including ceramics and textiles and even decorative schemes for public buildings.
Among the artist's achievements was his completion of 'one of the largest paintings ever contemplated' in 1937. The piece, an ode to electricity entitled La Fée Electricité, was shown at that year's Exposition Internationale in Paris.
 Le nu aux arums (or The Nude With Lilies) by Raoul Dufy |
Featuring a provocative nude, Le nu aux arums is estimated to sell for €220,000-300,000 when it auctions in Lokeren, located in the Belgian province of East Flanders, on March 10.
Dufy works have already sold for large amounts at some of the world's top auction houses.
In 2000, Sotheby's New York auctioned Dufy's Les mannequins de poiret aux courses a l'ombrelle bleue from "from the Important Collection of a French Connoisseur."
That piece brought $159,750 and would likely be worth significantly more today. Raoul Dufy's collectibility is well-established, and Le nu aux arums is definitely worth a closer look in next week's Belgium sale.
