Biographies

Maurice de Vlaminck (1876 – 1958) He was born in Paris to parents who were bohemian musicians. As an adolescent, Vlaminck planned to make a career as a professional cyclist. Like his parents, he also had musical talent and earned a living by playing the violin, but he was also interested in art though he later boasted that he had never entered the Louvre. In 1896 Vlaminck a case of typhoid fever ended his cycle racing career. Obliged to support his family, he gave violin lessons and eventually joined the military. During one of his military leaves at Chatou he met in June 1900, which led to the school of Chatou and ultimately the birth of Fauve art. Vlaminck painted with the Fauves and exhibited with them at the Salon des Indépendants and d’Automne. He also published a few novels for which Derain made the illustrations. André Derain