70. Autumn Sale

We have collected outstanding works of Hungarian art from the 19th and 20th centuries for our 70th Autumn Sale. The sale features masterpieces from the Private collection of the recently deceased producer and media entrepreneur Péter Kornai, along with works by Lajos Gulácsy, János Vaszary and József Rippl-Rónai.

Kornai studied and researched the works of Hungarian artists with great passion. Anecdotally he bought a painting like one buys a house – from the basement to the attic, he wanted to know everything about the given work. Although his collection consists of works from different eras and styles, it is organic and completely uniform with regards to mood and emotion, while its backbone is made up of classic modern works. As part of the Kornai collection Virág Judit Gallery auctions János Vaszary’s stunning watercolor painting (Diva lying on a Blue Sofa), József Rippl-Rónai’s fine portrait (Portrait of Count Somssich) and Lajos Gulácsy’s exceptionally rich graphic collection, which gives insight into almost all of the artist’s artistic periods.

In addition to the above, the auction material includes previously unseen Vaszary masterpieces. With one of the most representative oil works of the painter’s Parisian period (Flower Still-life with Irises and Tulips), the painting titled as The Garden of the San Domenico Hotel in Taormina will also be auctioned. The latter was previously unknown, hidden for decades in a prestigious Swiss private collection.

Another key lot of the sale is Lajos Tihanyi’s avant-garde painting Landscape of Paris made around 1925, which is a real treat for art lovers: an abstract, purist depiction of Parisian rooftops and chimneys.

The lots also include a large-scale tempera piece by Károly Patkó and further masterpieces by Béla Kádár, Vilmos Aba-Novák and Dezső Czigány.