Executed circa 1914–15, Kees van Dongen’s Portrait de Madame Desjardins marks a pivotal moment in the artist’s career. Van Dongen transitioned from the exuberant, daring Fauvist works of the early 1900s to the commissioned portraiture that would come to dominate his practice from the 1910s onwards. The portrayal of Madame Desjardins elegantly fuses the sophisticated allure of his later society portraits with the vibrant, gestural experimentation characteristic of his earlier work.

Van Dongen was a member of the Fauves, the group of artists who burst onto the avant-garde scene at the 1905 Salon d’Automne. Their deliberately naïve, raw style—marked by a saturated colour palette and expressive brushwork—shocked both critics and the public. As contemporary critic Joséphin Péladin remarked: “One can scarcely imagine what a truly outrageous influence Montmartre has had […] Vulgarity floods out of this satanic Butte on to Paris and on to France” (Joséphin Péladin, ‘Le Salon d’Automne: Ingres et Manet’, La Revue Hebdomadaire, 28 October 1905, pp. 459–60).

Despite the initial critical backlash, Van Dongen quickly established himself as one of the most sought-after portrait artists of his time. This success was partly due to the support of prominent Parisian dealers—Bernheim-Jeune, Ambroise Vollard, Antoine Druet, and Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, who notably dedicated his very first exhibition in March 1910 to Van Dongen. These dealers recognised the commercial and artistic potential of paintings such as Portrait de Madame Desjardins, frequently organising solo exhibitions that brought the artist considerable acclaim.

Van Dongen’s Fauvist brilliance is especially evident in his masterful handling of colour, a quality that remains prominent in his later work, including the present painting. The richness and depth of the sitter’s dress contrast strikingly with her fiery auburn hair and luminous, near-iridescent skin, further enlivened by subtle turquoise-green hues woven into her complexion. The inclusion of vibrant flowers—both adorning the sitter’s dress and appearing in the background—demonstrates how Van Dongen, even when incorporating decorative elements, continued to explore and manipulate colour to great effect.

Women remained Van Dongen’s most significant subject throughout his career, from his early paintings at the Bateau-Lavoir depicting courtesans and dancers to the elegant ladies of French high society. Portrait de Madame Desjardins is a graceful example of the latter: her lavish dress with its ruffled skirt and gleaming pearl necklace adorning her décolletage clearly indicate her wealthy background.

In the present work, Van Dongen’s use of lighting is evident in the sitter’s luminous complexion and the subtle halo effect around her figure, showing his ongoing interest in how light can enhance colour and form. Although the painting was probably created at the sitter’s home, this exploration of light reflects a technique he developed in his Montparnasse studio. In 1912, Van Dongen had moved to a spacious studio at 6 rue Saulnier, near the famous Folies-Bergère music hall. The studio made a strong impression on visitors; one described it as “a square space with high white walls and oak wainscoting,” featuring a large carbon arc lamp hanging from the ceiling and ten large paintings on the walls (Anonymous, cited in All Eyes on Van Dongen, exh. cat., Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, 2011, p. 85). Fernande Olivier, Picasso’s first muse, also praised the studio’s lighting in her memoir. As art historian Anita Hopkins explains, Van Dongen was among the first to install electric lighting, using the Folies-Bergère’s early electrical system. Olivier described the arc lamp as “brilliant” and “blinding,” which made Van Dongen’s colours shine, creating vivid contrasts of ultramarine and vermilion that seemed to surround his figures like haloes (ibid, p. 85).

In his new studio and social circle, Van Dongen became friends with the French professor and journalist Louis Paul Abel Desjardins (1859–1940) and his wife, Marie Escudier—the sitter in the present work. In the summer of 1913, they invited him to their country house in Criqueboeuf, situated between Honfleur and Deauville in Normandy. The Desjardins introduced Van Dongen to Deauville, which had already become a fashionable retreat for Parisian high society during the summer months. Captivated by the town’s vibrancy and luxury, Van Dongen returned nearly every year to portray its elegant landscapes and glamorous visitors.

Portrait de Madame Desjardins stands out as a key work that encapsulates Van Dongen’s transition into refined society portraiture, showcasing his masterful use of colour and light while reflecting the elegance and social milieu that would define much of his later career.