Barki Gergely et al.: Czóbel. A French Hungarian painter - ArtMill publications 5. (Szentendre, 2014)
Béla Czóbel's Biography in Dates
BELA CZOBEL’S BIOGRAPHY IN DATES 1883 He was born on 4 September in Budapest. 1902 He graduated in the Barcsay High School, Budapest, and in the summer of this year he did first travel to Nagybánya (today Baia Mare, Romania) artists’ colony, where his master was Béla Iványi Grünwald. 1902-1903 He studied at the Munich Academy, his masters were Wilhelm von Diez and Johann Caspar Herterich. 1903 In the summer he was painting in the Nagybánya colony, in the autumn he travelled to Paris and enrolled to the Julian Academy, where his master was Jean Paul Laurens. 1904 At the Winter Exhibition of the Műcsarnok (Art Hall) in Budapest a portrait painted by him was displayed, in the summer he was painting in Nagybánya, where he got acquainted with his later wife, Isolde Daig, and Ferenc Lehel. 1905 In the summer he was painting in Belgium, in the autumn his works were displayed in Paris, at the Salon d’Automne III. 1906 His daughter, Lisa was born in Bamberg, in the spring he was working in Budapest, in the summer in Nagybánya. From this year on his works were regularly displayed in the Fauves Rooms of the Salon d’Automne and Salon des Indépendants shows. 1907 He became the member of MIÉNK, the Circle of Hungarian Impressionists and Naturalists in Budapest, in the summer he was the guest of Károly Kernstok in Nyergesújfalu. 1908 Galerie Berthe Weill in Paris organized an exhibition of Czóbel’s works. 1909 Three of his paintings were staged at the exhibition entitled New Paintings of the group that was later called “The Eight” (A Nyolcak). 1911 He moved to Montmorency with his family.The group of “The Eight” considered him as a member, but his paintings were not displayed at their exhibitions. 1912 Five of his works were staged at the jubilee exhibition in Nagybánya. 1913 He was awarded at the International Post-Impressionist Exhibition in the Artists’ House (Művészház) in Budapest. In the summer he was again the guest of Károly Kernstok in Nyergesújfalu. 1914 Following the outbreak of World War 1 he left France for Belgium, then to the Netherlands. 1917 He settled down in Bergen, in the Netherlands. 1919 He moved to Berlin. 1920 In the spring he had an individual exhibition in Paul Cassirer’s Gallery, in the summer he was painting in Würzburg. In the following years his works were regularly displayed in Berlin and in other German towns. 1923 At the exhibition Kreis der Brücke in the Galerie Ferdinand Möller in Berlin he was displaying his works together with German Expressionists. 1924 His works were staged at the KÚT (The New Association of Visual Artists) exhibition in Budapest. 1925 In the autumn of the year he moved back to Paris. 1931 From this year onwards he spent the summers as a guest of the Hatvany family in their Hatvan castle. 1932 He won the Szinyei Award. 1934 Ernő Kállai’s book on Czóbel was published. 1936 During his stay in Hungary he was invited by Ferenc Lehel to visit Szentendre. He got acquainted with the painter Mária Modok. 1939 In Nizza he divorced from Isolde Daig. 1940 He moved back to Hungary, was living on the Török (Turkish) Hill in Szentendre, and married Mária Modok on 31 December. During World War II he lived in the town. 1945 He was elected to be the chairman of the Society of Szentendre Painters, and the member of the National Salon Art Society. 1946 He became the member of the European School formed in 1945; he travelled to Switzerland as a member of a group of Hungarian artists, from where he went on to Paris. 1947 The Hungarian Ministry for Religion and Public Education donated life pension to him. 1948 In the August of this year he participated in the World Congress of Intellectuals as a member of the Hungarian delegation. 1949 He was awarded the Kossuth prize. 1958 He was awarded with the prize of Worthy Artist. 1961 István Genthon’s monograph on him was published in Budapest. 1963 He was awarded with the Prominent Artist Prize. 1966 In December he received a studio and an apartment in the Art House at 12-14 Kelenhegyi Road, Budapest. 1967 His wife had a stroke in Paris. 1968 On his 85th birthday he got the prize of golden degree of the Labour Order. 1970 Clarisse Philipp’s book on him was published; he was asked to organize an exhibition of his oeuvre in Műcsarnok (Art Hall) in Budapest. 1971 On 20 March, after a long illness, Mária Modok died. 1971 The Czóbel life work exhibition was opened in Műcsarnok (Art Hall). 1975 The Czóbel Museum in Szentendre was opened. 1976 Béla Czóbel died on 29 January, at the age of 93. CZOBEL, A FRENCH HUNGARIAN PAINTER 199
