75th Spring Sale

In this spring auction of Virág Judit Gallery, three remarkable works will be featured: one of them is Jenő Gábor’s breathtaking masterpiece, a hidden work unseen for four decades by Béla Kondor and furthermore a miraculous still-life by Dezső Czigány. The bidding war for the paintings begins on May 13 at the Budapest Congress Center, but from April 29 everyone can view the pieces free of charge in the Gallery.
Jenő Gábor‘s works are particularly rare at auctions, this is one of the reasons why the spring sale of the Virág Judit Gallery is preceded by enormous interest, where one of the artist’s masterpieces goes under the hammer. Among others, the sensation of the auction is Jenő Gábor’s art deco masterpiece painted in 1926, which depicts the biggest national holiday of the French. Sculpture shaped dancing figures and bursting colors characterize the eventful and busy street scene, which revives the best French painting traditions. Jenő Gábor painted the picture during his stay in Paris, capturing the moment when the liberated Parisians celebrate Revolution Day with a street carnival, the anniversary of the Siege of the Bastille,
Béla Kondor‘s work entitled Two Heads (Flying a model airplane), 1958, appeared on the market after 40 years of hiding. 1984 was the last chance for the public to see the artwork and then it disappeared from the sight of both of the public audience and the art historians. An iconic piece of art like this one is rarely put on auction. The masterpiece reflects the style and symbolism of the entire Kondor tradition, a mixture of play and technology against a brilliant golden background.
The painting of Dezső Czigány‘s Still Life with a Chinese Vase from the 1920s commemorates Cézanne’s traditions. The basic geometric shapes with reduced elements help to make the plastic-like sensation feel with colors. Czigány was the master of still-lifes, his works are among the outstanding pieces of European modernism.
In addition, the auction will include a special József Rippl-Rónai piece, a self-portrait painted in 1905: the 44-year-old artist painted himself in the living room of his house on Fő utca in Kaposvár, which is a well known location from his other paintings.