born in 1878 in cologne and died in 1946 in paris, guus van dongen, whose real name was juliana augusta preitinger. she studied at the royal academy of fine arts in rotterdam where she met her future husband, the painter  kees van dongen, whom she married in 1901 and  from whom she divorced twenty years later.

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she made this painting when she shared the same studio as her husband, just after leaving the wash house, where they occupied the studio just above that of pablo picasso.
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guus van dongen canvases are very rare on the art market because they are mostly kept by the family. this one comes from dolly van dongen, daughter of the artist and kees van dongen.⁣