Dufy was born in Le Havre, France, in 1877. Dufy had his first exhibition at the Salon des Indépendants in 1903, but three years later he abandoned Impressionism. He produced works with glowing colors and broad sweeping brush strokes which aligned him more closely with the Fauvists such as Henri Matisse – whose paintings greatly impressed Dufy. Fauvism, derived from the French word fauve meaning ‘wild beast’ was an art movement known for its radical use of vivid, contrasting colours. He is now revered as one of the most important French Post-Impressionists, and considered a national treasure.