He was the indispensable man, the person who brought together the wild colors of Fauvism, the plural viewpoints of cubism, interest in the arts of Africa and Asia, and an unapologetic talent for decoration. In painting, tapestry, stage design, ceramics, and textiles, Raoul Dufy (1877-1953) was creating Art Deco, a movement that only needed a name, starting in 1910. We associate Dufy with perpetual summer and yet he grew up in the northern French port city of Le Havre, a place of gunmetal…
