Kees van Dongen | Dutch Fauve painter

Cornelis Theodorus Maria van Dongen [1877-1968], usually known as Kees van Dongen or just Van Dongen, was a Dutch painter and one of the Fauves. He gained a reputation for his sensuous, at times garish, portraits. Kees van Dongen was born in Delfshaven, in the suburbs of Rotterdam. In 1892, at age 16, Kees van Dongen started his studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Rotterdam. During this period from 1892-1897, van Dongen frequented the Red Quarter seaport area, where he drew scenes of sailors and prostitutes.