Hungarian-American Artist’s Works to be Transferred to Museum in Hungary

Washington, DC – The Hungarian American Coalition (Coalition) has accepted a donation of artworks by Árpád Kallós, a Hungarian portrait painter who lived and worked in the United States between 1921 and 1960. The collection 8 oil paintings and 6 drawings was donated to the Coalition by Brian R. Fahs, great-great grandson of the painter. The Coalition agreed to transfer the artwork to Hungary for donation to suitable museum or other cultural institution.

Oil painting donated to the Coalition. Portrait of Ilona Mezei (Kallós), sister of the artist.
Oil on canvas, 29.75×37.75.

Árpád Kallós was born in Hódmezővásárhely, Hungary, on September 9, 1882. He studied law to please his parents, but just before graduating from law school, he enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest. A pupil of Ede Balló and Gyula Benczúr, he graduated in 1910. As a young artist, he won several important prizes at European exhibitions. To provide for his family, he concentrated on portraiture. During World War I, he was drafted into the Austro-Hungarian army with the official assignment of “war painter”. He also served as court painter to Karl, Crown Prince of Hungary, and was commissioned to create a portrait of Emperor Franz Joseph.

In 1921, Árpád Kallós emigrated to the United States, settled in New York City, and devoted himself entirely to portraiture. In 1923, he went to Cleveland at the invitation of Mrs. John M. Gundry, for whose family he painted nine portraits. He also painted portraits of William M. Millikan, curator of the Cleveland Museum of Art; Jessie Glassier, an art critic of the Cleveland newspaper ‘Cleveland Plain Dealer’; members of the Rockefeller family; and Miss Alice Gundry, who later became Lady Clifford, wife of a Governor General of the Bahamas. In the New York area, his subjects included Mr. Julian Curtiss, President of A.G. Spalding Bros.; Mr. Julius Manger of Greenwich and his mother, owners of the Manger hotel chain; and Mr. Lionel Strauss.

Drawing donated to the Coalition. Portrait of A. Oliver Kallos (11×15.25).

He returned to the New York City area in 1925, and eventually settled in Crestwood, NY. He lived and worked there until his death in 1960.

The Coalition has agreed to store the paintings in Washington DC and to arrange for their transfer to a suitable museum in Hungary.