Kees van Dongen was a Dutch painter, follower of fauvism, his early work was influenced by symbolism and the rise of pointillism. He began his studies at the age of 16 at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Rotterdam. It was the vivid colours of their paintings that earned them the name "Fauves". His portraits are very known among the French bourgeoisie. Then, he became a social painter. He liked to paint the circus and the music hall with its dancers and acrobats. Very quickly, women became his favourite subject, and he liked to distort features of his models. He painted the portrait of cinema personalities with a lot of satyrs: outrageous pose, theatrical costume and accessories. He tried to show all the fakeness of this world and of these people living only through characters.