Printer: Mourlot 

Dimensions: 73 x 53.3 cm

Condition: Very good

Frame: Unframed

Description: This lithographic poster was produced for a retrospective of André Derain’s work at the Musée Cantini in Marseille. The image is taken from his 1906 painting of Big Ben, made when he was twenty-six and working in London at the height of his Fauvist period. It forms part of a series he painted along the Thames, where colour and structure take precedence over direct description.

The London paintings marked a shift from his earlier views of the Seine, each body of water offering a distinct atmosphere and approach. In these works, Derain used bold, fragmented colour to build the image, helping to define one of the most important moments in early twentieth century painting.

Writing in the 1960s, the American artist and critic Leland Bell reflected on this quality in Derain’s work, noting that there is always something at work beneath the surface, an ongoing attempt to push further, carried with seriousness and without self-interest.

Artist: André Derain (1880 - 1954)