Early Life
Zsigmond Kolozsvary was a French/Hungarian painter. He was born in Transylvania in 1899. He attended the School of Applied Arts in Budapest from 1915-1918, then the School of Decorative Arts until 1925. After his studies, he travelled to Switzerland and Italy, where he was influenced by the lineal space of Uccello. Before settling in Paris he was soon embraced by the avant-garde artists of the École de Paris.
In 1928 Kolos-Vary held his first one-man show at Galerie Miromesnil, the success of this led to numerous subsequent exhibitions, commencing with the prestigious Galerie Bonaparte in 1929, and Galerie Povolosky in 1930, for which Pierre Guéguen wrote the catalogue introduction. During this time he was also invited to exhibit in the Salon d’Automne, and the Salon des Indépendants. This early period is characterised by surreal semi-figurative compositions, of elaborate mystical imagery.
About his Art
Affected by the cruelties of war, Kolos-Vary submerged himself in his painting, producing increasingly powerful compositions. These works were highly acclaimed in 1946 when shown at an important exhibition at the Musée National d’Art Moderne de Paris organised by Jean Cassou. Eminent art dealer Jean Bucher who gave Kolos-Vary a major one-man show at his eponymous gallery in 1948 then approached the artist. During this post-war period Kolos-Vary participated in the radical Salon de Mai, 1949-1958, the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles, 1956-1961, and the Salon des Comparaisons, 1960-1962. Kolos-Vary came to abstraction in the fifties through a long and patient philosophical exploration of the reality experienced during his remarkable life.
“Aprés L’Orage” is a magnificent example of this period, dominated by vibrant ethereal forms. His writings explain that these wonderfully harmonious compositions are strictly linked to nature through a new spatial interpretation, having found the perceived world too limited. These extraordinary evocative works brought the artist international recognition, and exhibitions in New York 1959; London, 1961; Japan, 1961; and elsewhere including Geneva, Basel, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Brussels, Milan...
Notable Achievements
Prizes: Prix de la Critique, 1953; Prix de Lissone, 1957; Priz Marzotto, 1960; Prix des Onze, 1966.
The artist’s work is represented in many major museums of modern art, including Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris; Musée National d’Art Moderne de Paris; Musée des Beaux Arts, Lille; Budapest; Jerusalem; Pécs; Algiers; Milwaukee, USA.
Artworks of Sigismund Kolos-Vary are available at the Kálmán Makláry Fine Arts.