20th Century French
 
The correct spelling of his surname is “de Vlaminck”, means “the Fleming”, and that is how he signed his works. The son of a Belgian father and of a mother born in Lorraine, both of whom were musicians, in 1879 the family set up home in Vésinet.
 
Besides being a painter, he was the author of novels, poems and essays. He did not attend any academy, Fine Arts or Decorative Arts school. In 1895 he obtained advice on drawing from Jules Paul Victor Robichon (1840—1922), a member of the Société des Artistes Français, and also from Henri Rigal, with whom he worked at l’île de Chatou after finishing his military service. In his youth he earned his living playing the violin in tzigane orchestras. From 1896 to 1899, he made a living teaching music and playing at the Théâtre du Château d’Eau.
 
He was very fond of the Impressionist painters, and in 1900 he got in touch with Claude Monet (1840—1926) and, more importantly, with André Derain (1880—1954), with whom he shared a rented studio at l’île de Chatou. In 1901 they saw an exhibition together of Vincent Van Gogh (1853—1890) that had a great impact on Vlaminck and left a definitive mark on his work. In his eighties he still bragged of the fact that he had never set foot in a museum or learned the “trade” in an academy.
 
In the early 20th century he converted to and in 1904 he exhibited at Galerie Berthe Weill (Paris) and in 1905 at the Salon des Indépendents and at the historic “cage aux fauves” at the Salon d’Automne. That was the last time he took part in salons and from them on he showed his works at different galleries.
 
In 1911 he travelled to London and connected immediately with the city’s atmosphere. From that moment onwards there were no substantial changes in his painting, although his skies—usually foreboding storms—were slightly altered.