Chinanews.com, Shanghai, November 11 (Reporter Wang Ji) Raoul Duffy's retrospective exhibition "Happy Melody" opened at the West Bund Art Museum in Shanghai on the 10th, a complete review of the artistic achievements of this independent art master known for conveying the joy of life. Among them, the lithograph version of the epic masterpiece "Electric Elf" is the first to appear in China.

Raoul Duffy's self-portrait is on display at the West Bund Museum of Art. Photo by Chinanews reporter Wang Ji

With more than 120 works by Raoul Duffy, including paintings, prints, ceramics, textiles, etc., this exhibition follows the rheological path of modernist art such as Impressionism, Fauvism, Cubism, and Art Deco, and comprehensively presents Duffy's wide range of creative fields and unparalleled creativity. These exhibition works are selected from the heavyweight collection of the Centre Pompidou in France, and unprecedentedly mobilize more than 20 museums and art institutions in France, Spain and other places to collect Dufy's classic masterpieces.

The lithograph version of the epic masterpiece "Electric Elves" debuted in China. Photo by Chinanews reporter Wang Ji

The most interesting thing in the exhibition hall is undoubtedly Duffy's epic masterpiece "Electric Elf", which depicts the portraits of 111 philosophers, scientists and thinkers such as Aristotle, Archimedes, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Newton, Edison and Marie Curie through the fusion of myths and fables, which not only shows the great changes that electricity has made to human life, but also celebrates the achievements of human beings in physics, especially electricity.

In 1937, Duffy was invited by the Universal Exhibition in Paris to create the decorative masterpiece "Electric Elf", but for a long time after that, this masterpiece disappeared from public view and was not reassembled at the Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris until 1961. In his later years (1952-1953), Duffy repainted the Electric Genie in the exhibition hall in the form of lithographs.

Raoul Duffy retrospective "Happy Melodies". Photo by Chinanews reporter Wang Ji

Ceremonies, sporting events, skyscrapers, coastal views, food and drink, portraits of celebrities... Walking through the exhibition hall, the audience seems to have opened a vivid picture of life in the first half of the 20th century. And this is what distinguishes Duffy from recording many of the major events of his time with his work, and he is extremely enthusiastic about the various manifestations of technological progress.

According to curator Christian Blaion, Duffy can be considered a "painter of modern life" in many ways. These depictions of current events are comparable to news reports, and we see that Duffy seems to want to include all the activities of modern man in his work, and to declare his belief in the continuous progress and development of mankind. His work shows a modernity, as does the way he understands and presents this ever-evolving world. ”

Raoul Duffy's "Red Violin" with the inscription "Raoul Duffy's Music and Paintings". Photo by Chinanews reporter Wang Ji

It is reported that Raoul Duffy's retrospective exhibition "Happy Melody" will be on display until February 2024, 2. (ENDS)