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KEES VAN DONGEN'S YOUTH
Kees van Dongen was born in Rotterdam (Netherlands) in the year 1877. In 1892, at age 16, van Dongen started his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rotterdam. During this period that lasted from 1892 to 1897, Kees van Dongen mainly went to the Red Quarter to paint sailors and prostitutes.
KEES VAN DONGEN AS AN ARTIST
In 1897 van Dongen moved to Paris where he settled and got married in 1901 with Augusta Prettinger. In addition to paintings, van Dongen earned his money by selling satirical sketches to the newspaper 'Revue Blanche'.
In 1905 he took part in the controversial exhibition 'Salon d'Automne'. Kees van Dongen also organised very succesful costume balls in Mont-Parnasse to earn an extra cent.
Under influence of Jasmy Jacob, amongst others, Kees van Dongen started to develop his fauvist style, using flashy, bright colors. This soon gave him a solid reputation with the French bourgeoisie.
KEES VAN DONGEN'S DEATH
In his latter days, Kees van Dongen moved to the South of France, where he also died in 1968.
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