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Lot Essay
Béla Kádár, an Hungarian artist born into a Jewish family in Budapest, was deeply involved in the international avant-garde of his time and exhibited extensively in Germany and America. His work incorporates elements of several styles, including Cubism, Expressionism, Futurism and Constructivism. Early in his career, he already sought to achieve a new manner of representation, one that was unfamiliar to the Hungarian audience, but that coincided best with German Expressionism and its emotional effect achieved by means of distorted forms.
Herwarth Walden, owner of the Der Sturm magazine and gallery in Berlin, was a key personality in Kádár's success. He was responsible for Kádár's first one-man exhibition abroad (Der Sturm Gallery, Berlin, December 1923) and introduced him to other artists in Berlin, many of whom were members of the Der Blaue Reiter, including Jawlensky and Kandinsky.
The light-toned color palette of hoos work from the 1930's and 1940's contrasts strongly with the darkening of his life; Kádár survived the war in the Budapest ghett and he lost his wife and two sons. The first work has an unusual format, illustrated on both sides. Figures with Horses (recto) is reminiscent of his paintings that contain folk elements placed within a world of fantasy; a parallel could be traced back to the dream-like works of Marc Chagall. Seated Nude (verso) and the second work, Femme assise dans un fauteuil, depicts seated women with vibrant colors and energetic brushstrokes, whilst keeping nonetheless delicate and elegant poses - a formal contrast that he commonly applied to portrayals of female figures.
Herwarth Walden, owner of the Der Sturm magazine and gallery in Berlin, was a key personality in Kádár's success. He was responsible for Kádár's first one-man exhibition abroad (Der Sturm Gallery, Berlin, December 1923) and introduced him to other artists in Berlin, many of whom were members of the Der Blaue Reiter, including Jawlensky and Kandinsky.
The light-toned color palette of hoos work from the 1930's and 1940's contrasts strongly with the darkening of his life; Kádár survived the war in the Budapest ghett and he lost his wife and two sons. The first work has an unusual format, illustrated on both sides. Figures with Horses (recto) is reminiscent of his paintings that contain folk elements placed within a world of fantasy; a parallel could be traced back to the dream-like works of Marc Chagall. Seated Nude (verso) and the second work, Femme assise dans un fauteuil, depicts seated women with vibrant colors and energetic brushstrokes, whilst keeping nonetheless delicate and elegant poses - a formal contrast that he commonly applied to portrayals of female figures.