Kees van Dongen — Gallery of Paintings from 1905 to 1959

The works of the French painter of Dutch origin Kees van Dongen (1877–1968) are known for their bold color palette, expressive portraits, and deep interest in the human figure. He was one of the leading representatives of the Fauvism movement, alongside Matisse and André Derain, and became famous for challenging traditional norms of color and form. Dongen studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Rotterdam and moved to Paris at age 20.

Van Dongen spent the years of World War I in Rotterdam, and after returning to Paris he began receiving numerous portrait commissions from members of high society. In his final years, he lived in Monaco, where an extensive collection of his works is now preserved.

Women remained the central theme in his paintings throughout his career. His portraits of archetypal glamorous beauties with rosy cheeks, large eyes, and bright red lips were laced with irony and became incredibly popular. Dongen’s method was not to depict external reality, but to convey emotional perception. He used saturated, often unnatural colors to emphasize the individuality of the model. His works stand out for their simplicity of form, yet they are filled with drama and inner strength, challenging traditional notions of portraiture as a precise reflection of appearance.

We have selected more than 50 portraits painted by Dongen between 1905 and 1959 for publication, for several reasons:

• To show the evolution of his style — from vivid Fauvist works to more simplified and symbolic images.
• To trace how his technique and approach to depicting faces and figures changed over time.
• To showcase a wide range of genres — from fashionable Parisian portraits to intimate female portraits.

Dongen’s paintings invite viewers to contemplate the face as a form of self-expression, reflecting the artist’s ability to find meaning and poetry in what may seem like simple details.

This gallery features portraits by Kees van Dongen created between 1905 and 1959. These works cover key stages of his artistic development — from early Fauvism to a mature, more refined style. You can see how his relationship with the model evolved, along with his use of color and form. This is a full journey through the evolution of one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.

Kees Van Dongen - Fernande Olivier

1905, 100 × 81 cm

Kees Van Dongen - La Femme au Collier Fond Rouge

1905, 100 × 81 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Nu à la Chaise

1905, 65 × 54 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Femme à la Toilette

1906, 64 × 49 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Femme au Grand Chapeau

1906, 100 × 81 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Fernande Olivier ou Espagnole

1906, 91 × 72 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Fleurs dans un Vase Bleu

1907, 83 × 46 cm

Kees Van Dongen - La Cuirasse d'Or

1907, 130 × 131 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Rotterdam, le Bateau Blanc

1907, 81 × 100 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Red Dancer

1907, 99 × 81 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Chanteur Soprano

1908, 100 × 81 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Portrait de Madame Malpel

1908, 170 × 85 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Woman with Blue Eyes

1908

Kees Van Dongen - Femme au Turban

1909, 46 × 38 cm

Kees Van Dongen - A Finger on Her Cheek

1910, 54 × 65 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Femme au Chapeau Vert

1910, 92 × 73 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Femme aux Deux Colliers

1910, 65 × 65 cm

Kees Van Dongen - La Femme à laigrette

1910, 55 × 46 cm

Kees Van Dongen - La Femme au Collier Vert

1910, 65 × 46 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Portrait Trinidad Fernandez

1910, 66 × 53 cm

Kees Van Dongen - De Guus Preitinger, Femme de l’Artiste

1911, 146 × 114 cm

Kees Van Dongen - La Gitane

1911, 100 × 81 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Femme au Chapeau de Roses

1911, 99 × 80 cm

Kees Van Dongen - La Femme au Chapeau

1911, 100 × 81 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Fatma

1911, 65 × 46 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Madame Veuve Rose

1911, 100 × 81 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Portrait de Mme Jasmy

1911, 129 × 96 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Plumes Blanches

1911, 100 × 80 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Rouge et Jaune

1911, 100 × 73 cm

Kees Van Dongen - The Gypsy Girl

1911, 54 × 45 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Woman with Frill

1911, 98 × 79 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Woman at the Banister

1911, 81 × 99 cm

Kees Van Dongen - La Femme aux Chats

1912, 81 × 100 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Fatimah Ismael de Louxor

1912, 55 × 46 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Les Arums

1912, 147 × 115 cm

Kees Van Dongen - La Sirène

1913, 100 × 81 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Trois Femmes

1913, 227 × 130 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Fauve, Anarchiste et Mondain

1917, 43 × 35 cm

Kees Van Dongen - La Quiétude

1918, 45 × 57 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Le Lévrier Bleu

1919, 195 × 97 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Promenade on Horseback

1920, 54 × 81 cm

Kees Van Dongen - La Grande Biche aux Bas Noirs

1922, 100 × 81 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Thé dans mon Atelier

1923, 92 × 76 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Sarah Rafale au Bois de Boulogne

1924, 78 × 64 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Dolly Sisters

1925, 92 × 73 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Portrait Lilly Damita

1926, 196 × 131 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Fleurs dans un Vase Bleu

1929, 83 × 46 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Josephine Baker

1929, 166 × 130 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Symphonie Bleue

1929, 35 × 27 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Tête de Femme

1950, 40 × 24 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Cannes, les Voiliers dans le Porth

1956, 40 × 50 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Portrait de Femme Blonde

1959, 65 × 54 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Marcelle Léoni Ponchettes

1959, 78 × 87 cm

Kees van Dongen painted women as if they stepped out of darkness and carried the viewer’s gaze with them. His color does not decorate, it pulls in; his faces do not tell stories, they remain silent. In this painting there is no heritage or lineage — only the moment in which the viewer is left alone with the image. His work is not about style or influence, but about the power of the image over the observer. Van Dongen, the architect of seduction, strips it of morality, explanations, and distance

Anatoli Gostev was inspired by Dongen’s painting, his color palette and simplicity. In the work “Chat” (“Conversation in Rome”), Gostev explored Dongen’s mastery of color harmony and female expressiveness. Here’s what he said about “Chat”:

A conversation between two women, filled with the feeling of sunshine and warmth. What are they talking about? Of course — men! And the uneaten banana subtly points to the topic of conversation — hopes, unspent emotions, and the twists of love.

— Anatoli Gostev (1946 – 2022)

In assessing the work of Kees van Dongen, our eyes darken and expand, filling half the face — like the figures created by the master of contrast himself. We peer into the paintings, searching for judgments and criteria, yet find only the magic of the night. One of the dynasty’s statements reads:

Paintings belong to a unique class of objects, because they are seen both as themselves and as something entirely different from the mere canvas on which they are painted.

Kees van Dongen did not wait, like Modigliani, to glimpse the female soul. He invented it himself, painting his beauties as he wished them to be.

The maestro’s women absorb and consume the will of men. The four beauties by van Dongen that we selected are his dreams of dissolving within them:

Kees Van Dongen - Laïlla

1908, 130 × 97 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Portrait de Femme

1908, 61 × 50 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Espagnole à la Mantille

1910, 63 × 48 cm

Kees Van Dongen - Portrait de Madeleine Grey

1929, 55 × 47 cm