01 Classic Work of Art, Marine Paintings - With Footnotes, #188

JEAN DUFY, (1888-1964) 

Port of Ile d'Yeu, 1928 

Oil on canvas

38 x 46 cm

Private collection

Île d'Yeu is an island and commune just off the Vendée coast of western France. The island's two harbours, Port-Joinville in the north and Port de la Meule, located in a rocky inlet of the southern granite coast, are famous for the fishing of tuna and lobster.


Neolithic markings in the native stone and an unusual concentration of megalithic dolmens and menhirs attest to the island's early sanctity. Irish monks dedicated their monastery on the Île d'Yeu to Hilaire; Saint Amand, from Poitou received early training there, but it was destroyed by Viking raiders in the ninth century.

During the tenth century, monks from Marmoutier, and monks of Saint-Cyprien built a new monastery and dedicated it to Saint Stephen. The castle built on an islet linked to the coast by a bridge is first mentioned in 1356.


Since the nineteenth century Île d'Yeu has attracted many artists. Jean Rigaud (1912–1999), official painter to the French Navy, had a house there, as did Maurice Boitel (1919–2007). Jean Dufy (1888-1964) made about twenty paintings of l'Ile d'Yeu during several summer stays between 1926 and 1930. More on Île d'Yeu

Jean Dufy (b Le Havre, France, 1888; d La Boissière, 1964) French Painter. Following his service in the military, from 1910-1912, Jean Dufy relocated to Paris. Inspired by the work of Braque and Picasso, Dufy created watercolors that expressed a heightened understanding of color and light. In the mid-1920s, Jean Dufy became captivated by the music of the time, such as Darius Millaud and Francis Poulenc, and incorporated this interest into his artwork. While depicting orchestral and musical subjects, Dufy later became enchanted by the coast of Northern France and began to create majestic and effecting landscapes. Throughout the 1950s Dufy explored Western Europe and North America, but inevitably returned to his watercolors and oils of Paris. Just two months after the death of his wife, Ismérie, Jean Dufy died in 1964 in La Boissiere. More Jean Dufy

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