Born on June 3 in Le Havre, as the second son of Léon Marius Dufy, an accountant for a small metals firm, and Marie-Eugénie Ida, née Lemmonier. All the family loved music and two brothers of Raoul became musicians later.
Owing to the modest financial condition of the family, he had to leave St. Joseph's college to work as a clerk at Luthy and Hauser, Swiss importers of Brazilian coffee.
Enrolled at the École Municipale des Beaux-Arts at Le Havre. He took evening classes with Othon Friesz and Georges Braque under the tuition of Charles Lhuillier.
Served in the army.
The municipality of Le Havre granted him a scholarship allowing him to go to Paris and study under Léon Bonnat at the École des Beaux-Arts. He shared a studio with Friesz at 12 Rue Cortot.
Seeing Matisse's painting, Luxe, calme, et volupté, Dufy began to move towards Fauvism.
Traveled with Braque to Estaque and worked in a Cézannesque style.
Traveled with Friesz to Munich.
Woodcuts for Le Bestiaire, ou le cortège d'Orphée of Guillaume Apollinaire.
Rented a studio at 5 Impasse Guelma in Montmartre. Worked in a small textile shop called Petite Usine, or Small Factory in Montmartre and supplied the designs with Paul Poiret, the fashion designer.
Worked as art director at the silk producing company of Atuyer-Bianchini-Férier in Lyons.
Created the stage set for Le Bœuf sur le Toit of Jean Cocteau.
Traveled in Italy.
Traveled to Morocco with Poiret.
Began the mural decorations for Dr. Viard's dining room in Paris (finished in 1933).
Completed the decoration for the Palais de l'Electricité. Began to suffer from a fit of polyarthritis. Visited the United States to serve on the jury for the Carnegie Prize.
Moved to Nice, and then Perpignan.
Designed the sets for Armand Salacrou's Les Fiancés du Havre.
Visited for the United States to undergo a course of cortisone treatments in Boston.
Won the first prize for painting at the 26th Venice Biennale.
Went to live in Forcalquier for its warmer climate.
Died of a heart attack on March 23 in Forcalquier. Buried at the Cemetery of the Monastery of Cimiez, Nice.
Last modified: 2004-06-04