Philip de László

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Self portrait, 1911
Self portrait, 1911

Philip Alexius de László (30 April 1869 Budapest - 22 November 1937 London)[1] was a Hungarian painter known particularly for his portraits of royal and aristocratic personages.

Contents

[edit] Early life

László was born in Budapest as Laub Fülöp Elek (Hungarian style with the surname first), the eldest son of a Jewish tailor. The family changed its name to László in 1891.

As a young man, László apprenticed to a photographer while studying art, eventually earning a place at the National Academy of Art, where he studied under Bertalan Székely and Károly Lotz. He followed this with studies in Munich and Paris. László's portrait of Pope Leo XIII earned him a Grand Gold Medal at the Paris International Exhibition in 1900.

In 1903 László moved from Budapest to Vienna. In 1907 he moved to England. He remained based in London for the rest of his life while traveling the world to fulfill commissions.

[edit] Later life

László's patrons awarded him numerous honors and medals. In 1909 he was named an honorary Member of the Royal Victorian Order by King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. In 1912 he was ennobled by King Franz Joseph of Hungary; his surname became "László de Lombos". The family later shortened the name to "de László".

László became a British citizen in 1914 but was interned for over twelve months in 1917 and 1918 during the First World War.[2]

László suffered a heart attack in 1936. The following year he had another heart attack and died at his home in Hampstead, near London.

[edit] Gallery

In the Hofbräuhaus in Munich, 1892

Ignaz Wechselmann, Hungarian architect, 1894

Empress Elisabeth of Austria, before 1898

Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, 1908

Winifred Cavendish-Bentinck, Duchess of Portland, 1912

Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois (mother of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco)

Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, Queen Mom, 1925

Princess Elizabeth of York at the age of seven, 1933

[edit] Marriage and family

In 1900 László married Lucy Madeleine Guinness, a member of the wealthy and well-connected Guinness family. They had first met in Munich in 1892, but for some years had been forbidden to see each other. Lucy de László's connections almost certainly brought her husband new commissions. They had six children (Photograph of László with his wife and sons):

  • a daughter (born and died 1903, Budapest).[3]
  • Henry de László
  • Stephen Philip de László (died 7 January 1939); married Edith Alexandra Diana von Versen (died 30 December 1938)
  • Paul de László; married Josephine
    • Christopher Paul de László; married April 1967 Helen Genia Arntzen (born Gerling)
    • Jane Marie de László; married 1966 William Haywood Ruffin
  • Patrick David de László (died October 1980); married 1stly Deborah Greenwood (died 11 November 1980; daughter of Hamar Greenwood, 1st Viscount Greenwood); married 2ndly 1977 Pamela Newall, Baroness Sharples (born 1923) as her second husband. Patrick and Deborah had issue:
    • Damon Patrick de László married 1972 Sandra Daphne Hacking (daughter of Douglas Eric Hacking, 2nd Baron Hacking)
      • Lucy Deborah de László (born 1975)
    • Stephanie Gay de László married 1978 Roger Stanley Williams
      • Clemency Lucy Williams (born 1979)
      • Aidan Paul Hammar Williams (born 1981)
      • Octavia Julian Williams (born 1983)
    • Charmian de László
    • Meriel de László
  • John Adolphus de László (died 1990) married ca. 1954 (divorced ca. 1977) Rosemary Townsend, nee Pawle (died 2004) as her second husband.

László had seventeen grandchildren.[4]

[edit] People painted

People painted by László include the following:

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ "Philip Alexius de László, M.V.O., P.R.B.A., 1869 Budapest - 1937 London" from the website The De Laszlo Archive Trust. Retrieved 15 August 2007. [1]
  2. ^ Giles MacDonogh. "Parlour games" The Guardian Saturday December 20, 2003[2] Retrieved 15 August 2007. The article states that "László had not only painted the Austrian foreign secretary, Count Berchtold, regarded by many as responsible for the war; he had also been ennobled by Emperor Franz Josef in 1912. After warnings, he was arrested in the summer of 1917 and accused of making contact with the enemy by sending letters to his mother and brother. He was locked up in Brixton prison and Holloway internment camp as an enemy alien. He didn't sympathise with the enemy: the range of his sitters reveals his even-handedness. He was released due to ill-health, but was not vindicated until the summer of 1919. He had been unable to paint anyone outside his own family for two years.
  3. ^ [3],. Retrieved 15 August 2007.
  4. ^ Suzy Menke's article, "A Hungarian artist's brush with grandeur" The International Herald Tribune Friday 9 January 2004, about the exhibition says that 16 of the 17 turned up for the opening party.[www.iht.com/articles/2004/01/09/menkes_ed3_.php]
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Portrait of a painter
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag Laszlo; A Brush with Grandeur

[edit] External links

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