Races at Epsom by Raoul Dufy

Races at Epsom - Raoul Dufy - Canvas Oil Painting

At a Glance

Choose Races at Epsom as a hand painted oil painting and skip the compromise of printed wall decor. Based on Raoul Dufy's original. Our artists rebuild the fine art composition stroke by stroke, producing fauvist canvas wall art with lasting color depth.

The Story Behind the Painting

Les courses à Epsom, circa 1938
gouache and watercolour on paper

This work is sold with a photo-certificate from Fanny Guillon-Laffaille. It will be included in her forthcoming supplement to the Raoul Dufy Catalogue raisonné of watercolours, gouaches and pastels currently in preparation.

Dufy's fascination with the races was inspired by his collaboration with the fashion designer Paul Poiret, who in 1909 commissioned the artist to create the stationery for his house and the textile patterns used in fabrics and garments. Poiret's signature dresses were flamboyantly sported by the ladies attending the races in Paris, Nice, Deauville, and, of course, the even more fashionable English race courses at Epsom and Ascot.

Dufy had experimented with the subject of horse races as early as 1913. His first paddock works were highly stylised watercolours, focussing on the audience of élégantes, dandies and jockeys attending the courses at Deauville. In the 1920s, his attention to the public's attire grew stronger and he dedicated a series of gouaches to Poiret's models (Les mannequins de Poiret), whom he captured in still, frieze-like compositions, influenced by 1920s fashion advertising. In the 1930s, with his discovery of the race courses at Epsom and Ascot, Dufy's compositions became more ambitious, as in the present work, in which Dufy captures the electric moment of the race itself, concentrating fully on the thrill of the race with a unique immediacy and panache.

Every hand painted oil painting in this fine art series is finished on artist-grade canvas and checked against the original before it leaves the studio.

How It Is Made

Oil on canvas remains the reference standard for fauvist reproductions. Our artists apply pigment by hand, blending the fine art tones directly on the surface for depth that a printed fine art oil painting simply cannot match.

Specifications & What You Receive

• 100% hand-painted oil painting on artist-grade canvas — never a print or digital reproduction.
• An extra 2-inch blank border is left around all edges for easy stretching and framing.
• No middlemen — we ship directly to you worldwide.
• Available canvas sizes for this hand painted oil painting: 20 X 24 in, 24 X 36 in, 30 X 40 in, 36 X 48 in, 48 X 72 in.
• Choose from standard sizes or request a custom dimension to fit your wall.
• Affordable delivery options via DHL, UPS, FedEx, USPS and more.
• Free canvas stretching on wooden stretcher bars; custom framing available on request.
• Every order includes a pre-shipment digital preview for your approval.

Styling & Placement

fauvist canvas wall art is one of the easiest ways to warm a living room. Pair this piece with natural linen, dark wood, or brushed brass, and let the hand painted surface do the rest.

Shipping & Guarantee

Browse our Raoul Dufy Paintings selection for related fine art canvases, or commission this fine art image in a custom size. Every order is a hand painted oil painting, never a printed poster.