André Derain French, 1880-1954

In 1905 Collioure, a small fishing town in the south west of France not far from the Spanish border, became the site of one of the most radical and significant reinventions of modern art. The paintings and drawings made that summer by Henri Matisse, working alongside André Derain in what John Russell described as 'ideal conditions' which 'were never to recur'1 established Matisse as the leader of the avant-garde in Paris at that time. Le Port de Collioure Matisse arrived in Collioure in mid-May and according to Hilary Spurling became...