Masterpieces by Renowned Painters Go Under The Hammer At Winter Auction

Portrait of painter Lajos Kunffy by József Rippl-Rónai (circa 1910)

Rippl-Rónai’s portrait of Lajos Kunffy, Hugó Scheiber’s futuristic dancers, and one of Károly Markó Sr.’s major works will be featured at the Virág Judit Gallery’s Christmas auction, which will be held on December 8 at the Congress Center.

Masterpieces by famous Hungarian painters, including Rippl-Rónai’s portrait of his friend Lajos Kunffy and one of the major works of Károly Markó Sr., Rhodopis’s Shoes, will be featured at the gallery’s winter auction.

As they wrote, the appearance of a Rippl-Rónai painting is always a significant event in the art world, but the personal background of the painting now up for auction makes it particularly valuable. The painter from Kaposvár (southwest Hungary) immortalized his good friend, painter Lajos Kunffy, in his painting. The two men had a close friendship for decades, traveling together to Paris and then returning home to Kaposvár, where they often painted each other and their wives, resulting in the famous Friendship paintings.

The portrait of Lajos Kunffy is one of Rippl-Rónai’s most sought-after masterpieces from his cornfield period, with a starting price of 65 million forints (170 401 euros). The most outstanding painting in János Kmetty’s City Park cycle is one of the important items in the winter auction.

The painting is being auctioned from the collection of a Hungarian art collector. The painter lived next to the City Park and often visited it to capture the urban park in his modern, cubist style. The painting Városligeti táj (City Park Landscape) has a starting price of 20 million forints (52 432 euros).

The auction will also feature an outstanding work by the Károly Markó Sr. from 1835. The painting Rhodopis’s Shoe is one of the artist’s masterpieces from his Roman period, a museum-quality work. The work depicts one of the earliest, ancient Greek versions of the Cinderella story, when Rhodopis’s shoe is stolen by an eagle while she is bathing in the river. The painting has a starting price of 16 million forints (42 000 euros), according to the report.

Also among the items is István Szőnyi’s painting Grey Danube, painted in his own garden in Zebegény (northern Hungary) in 1935, which symbolizes the harmony between nature and humanity. Its starting price is 12 million forints (31 500 euros).

Hugó Scheiber is one of the most sought-after painters in Hungary today, even though in his lifetime he walked the streets of Pest at night with a portfolio under his arm, looking for buyers for his paintings. The artist wittily captured the characteristic features of the big city, the flashing advertisements and the accelerating urban traffic. Bidding for his work entitled Táncosnők (Dancers), which is now up for auction, will start at 7.5 million forints (19 000 euros), according to the announcement.

All of the works in the 80th winter auction will be on display to the public free of charge at the Virág Judit Gallery until December 7, and the auction will be held on December 8 at the Congress Center.

Via MTI; Featured image: MTI/Purger Tamás

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