Philip de László

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

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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.

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. In 1939, the book Portrait of a Painter. The Authorized Life of Philip de László by Owen Rutter, written in conjunction with de László, was published.

Gallery

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):

László had seventeen grandchildren.[9]

People painted

People painted by László include the following:

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. ^ Penelope Anne Kitson née Steele was the chief female beneficiary under the will of Jean Paul Getty. Her daughter Juliet Kitson was the first wife of the present Henry Conyngham, 8th Marquess Conyngham, and mother of his heir Earl Mount Charles, and a daughter Lady Henrietta Conyngham, who married Thomas Anson, 6th Earl of Lichfield.
  5. ^ This transcript and recording mention some of his children.
  6. ^ This source cites Burke's Peerage as its source
  7. ^ Martin Richard de Laszlo
  8. ^ "Three generations of de Laszlo paintings went on show..." Evening Standard, 10 December 2005, online version
  9. ^ 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]
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Portrait of a painter
  11. ^ 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
  12. ^ a b Scone Palace

External links