$47,400
József Rippl-Rónai (Hungarian, 1861-1927) Figures in a Field Signed "Rónai" l. r., inscribed "Rippl-Ronai" in pencil on a label on the reverse. Oil on cardboard, 19 1/2 x 27 1/4 in. (49.4 x 69.4 cm), framed. Condition: Bowing to the support, wear along edges, surface irregularities, surface grime. Provenance: Purchased by Miklos Sperling (Hungarian/American,1899-1971), Indianapolis, Indiana, probably while traveling in Hungary; then by descent within the family to the current owner. N.B. József Rippl-Rónai was one of the leading artists of his generation in Hungary. Born in Kaposvar, Rippl-Rónai began the formal study of art in Munich in 1884. However, he was drawn to the art climate of Paris, moving there in 1887 and working in the studio of Hungarian ex patriot painter Mihály Munkácsy (1844-1900). The young painter enrolled at the Académie Julian in 1890, studying beside Vuilllard, Bonnard, and Maillol, as well as James Pitcairn-Knowles (Scottish, b. 1864), who would become a lifelong friend and artistic collaborator. During this time Rippl-Rónai became associated with the Nabis, but also absorbed the poetic aesthetic of James Abbott McNeill Whistler. When Rippl-Rónai returned to Budapest in 1901, the city was emerging as a cosmopolitan center, and Hungary itself was focused on the cultivation of a national cultural identity. Rippl-Rónai developed a personal approach that brought the avant-garde styles of Paris to bear on subjects of Hungarian domestic life. His w
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2011-09-09