Charles Georges Dufresne

Dufresne was born in 1876 of a seafaring family in the province of Seine-et-Oise. He left school at eleven years old and worked with a commercial artist whilst studying drawing at night classes. Later he attended the Ecole des Beaux Arts. Being compelled to work for his living, he took a job in a sculptor's studio. His first works to attract attention were pastels dating from around 1906. His first exhibition was held in 1908.

In 1910 he won the Prix de l'Afrique du Nord and spent two years in Algeria. Dufresne was one amongst a number of artists who found inspiration and visual delight in the brilliant light and colour of North Africa - the Aberdeen artist, James McBey was another such. The impression it made on Dufresne was a lasting one and his paintings from then on have an exotic flavour. He took elements from both Fauvism and Cubism but his personal style retained its individuality.

Dufresne was badly gassed in the first world war. Later he joined the camouflage section commanded by his friend Segonzac. War drawings and watercolours resulted from his experiences. After the war, in 1923 he joined with other painters to form a new exhibition society, the Salon des Tuileries. Shortly before his death he was commissioned to paint murals in public buildings in Paris. He also worked as a designer doing decor for the Paris Opera.