born June 10, 1880, Chatou, Fr.
died Sept. 8, 1954, Garches
French painter, graphic artist, and designer.
After studying in Paris at the Académie Carrière and Académie Julian, he developed his early style in association with his friends Maurice de Vlaminck and Henri Matisse ; the three were the principal exponents of Fauvism . Their landscapes and figure studies featured brilliant colours, broken brushstrokes, and impulsive lines. By the 1920s, however, Derain had turned to the Neoclassical style (see Classicism and Neoclassicism ). He produced numerous book illustrations and designs for stage sets, notably for Sergey Diaghilev 's Ballets Russes .