With Baz Lurhmann's adaptation of The Great Gatsby about to hit our screens, I found myself delving into a favourite reference book - Art Deco Textiles - The French Designers by Alain-Rene Hardy. Dufy's wonderful floral and pictorial designs and skilful repeats always inspire.
The French artist Raoul Dufy (1877 - 1953) was encouraged to design fabrics by the great Art Deco era couturier Paul Poiret. In 1911 Poiret set up a small textile printing studio to produce Dufy's lively and dramatic patterns, which were incorporated to great effect into his clothing designs.
Coat, 1911
Paul Poiret
Textile design by Raoul Dufy
Ivory and navy block printed velvet with brown fur trim and gold metallic mesh-covered silk closures.
Paul Poiret
Textile design by Raoul Dufy
Ivory and navy block printed velvet with brown fur trim and gold metallic mesh-covered silk closures.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Such was the success of Dufy's collaboration with Poiret, less than a year later the artist was offered a contract with the Lyons silk firm Bianchini-Ferier. Between 1912 and 1928 Dufy designed over 2000 patterns for dress and furnishing silks, and linen and cotton furnishing textiles.
The Harvester, c.1920
Design for printed linen by Raoul Dufy
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Roses, c.1925
Design attr. to Raoul Dufy
Les Tuilleries, c.1920
Design for woven silk by Raoul Dufy
Fleurs, 1918
Design for block-printed cotton by Raoul Dufy
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Jungle, 1922
Design for woven silk / wool by Raoul Dufy
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Venice, c.1920,21
Design for woven silk by Raoul Dufy
V&A Museum
