Emile Lahner
Encyclopedia
Emile Lahner was an Hungarian born painter who moved to Paris in 1924 and became part of the School of Paris
, a group of international artists working in Paris between 1900 and 1940.
Lahner was born in 1893 in the village of Nagyberezna in the Carpathian Mountains
of Hungary
. Lahner's mother died in childbirth and he became an orphan at the age of seven when his father was killed in an accident. Placed in the care of a bishop guardian, he was sent to boarding school to begin training as an engineer. Lahner abandoned his engineering career in 1921 and enrolled in the School of Fine Arts in Budapest where he studied under the masters Janos Vaszary
and Kochine, seminal figures in the Art Nouveau
movement.
During World War I, neighboring Romania and the new Soviet Republic sacked much of Hungary. The subsequent "Red Terror" and "White Terror" ensued and thousands were either jailed or killed. In this harshly repressive atmosphere, many artists and intellectuals, including Lahner, were forced to flee their homeland or chose to emigrate. Lahner decided in 1924 to move to Paris where he could study the modern masters, Delacroix
, Van Gogh and Monet.
Lahner arrived in Paris in 1924 residing in Montmartre. He studied with artist Antoine Bourdelle
and worked as a painter for Paris theaters and movie producers. He developed set designs for the filmmaker Alexander Korda
.
As the Third Reich rolled across Europe, Lahner joined many artists who took refuge in Vichy France in the Dordogne. He explored Dordogne's famous cave paintings that inspired a series of primitivist paintings.
After the liberation of Paris in 1945, Lahner returned to rue des Perichaux where he began to exhibit his work more frequently. In 1948 he made his first of many trips to Algeria where the Averseng family commissioned him, to design a chapel for the town of El Affroun. This assignment provided an opportunity for Lahner to participate in the fascination with chapel construction and adornment that was then popular in France.
Lahner's exploration of stained glass and its refractive properties during this project had a profound impact on the remainder of his abstract work.
In 1951 he visited the artist Pablo Picasso
in Vallauris, whom he eventually exhibited with at Galerie Daniel Malingue in Paris.
In 1957, at the age of 64, Lahner married Jeanne Cazenave. Following his marriage, Lahner moved from his spartan studio of twenty-five years on rue des Perichaux to an apartment on rue Alfred-Stevens, near the Place Pigalle
. In 1959 he met an American art dealer from California named Laszlo Laky. Mr. Laky became one of the artist's closest friends and supporters.
In the spring of 1961 Lahner received critical success in a watershed exhibition at the Galerie Jeanne Castel. This exhibition was under the patronage of Lahner's old friend, Leopold Sedar Senghor
, a well-known poet and the former president of Senegal.
From the 1960s until his death in 1980, Lahner continued to exhibit. He was known for his wide breadth of stylistic exploration, informed through his early exposure to the Art Nouveau
, Constructivist
, Synthetic, and Non-objective art movements in Eastern Europe. While living in Paris, he was greatly influenced by Post-Impressionism
, Fauvism
, Cubism
, and Primitivism
. Lahner's close friends included artists and writers Jean Bouret, Leopold Sedar Senghor
, Jean Trichet, Marcel Sauvage, and André Masson
.
School of Paris
School of Paris refers to two distinct groups of artists — a group of medieval manuscript illuminators, and a group of non-French artists working in Paris before World War I...
, a group of international artists working in Paris between 1900 and 1940.
Lahner was born in 1893 in the village of Nagyberezna in the Carpathian Mountains
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. Lahner's mother died in childbirth and he became an orphan at the age of seven when his father was killed in an accident. Placed in the care of a bishop guardian, he was sent to boarding school to begin training as an engineer. Lahner abandoned his engineering career in 1921 and enrolled in the School of Fine Arts in Budapest where he studied under the masters Janos Vaszary
Janos Vaszary
János Vaszary was a Hungarian painter. He was born in Kaposvár, Hungary. His masters included Bertalan Székely at the School of Decorative Art. He went on with his studies in Munich and at the Académie Julian in Paris. He was particularly influenced by Jules Bastien-Lepage and Puvis de...
and Kochine, seminal figures in the Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
movement.
During World War I, neighboring Romania and the new Soviet Republic sacked much of Hungary. The subsequent "Red Terror" and "White Terror" ensued and thousands were either jailed or killed. In this harshly repressive atmosphere, many artists and intellectuals, including Lahner, were forced to flee their homeland or chose to emigrate. Lahner decided in 1924 to move to Paris where he could study the modern masters, Delacroix
Eugène Delacroix
Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school...
, Van Gogh and Monet.
Lahner arrived in Paris in 1924 residing in Montmartre. He studied with artist Antoine Bourdelle
Antoine Bourdelle
Antoine Bourdelle , originally Émile Antoine Bourdelle, was an influential and prolific French sculptor, painter, and teacher.-Career:...
and worked as a painter for Paris theaters and movie producers. He developed set designs for the filmmaker Alexander Korda
Alexander Korda
Sir Alexander Korda was a Hungarian-born British producer and film director. He was a leading figure in the British film industry, the founder of London Films and the owner of British Lion Films, a film distributing company.-Life and career:The elder brother of filmmakers Zoltán Korda and Vincent...
.
As the Third Reich rolled across Europe, Lahner joined many artists who took refuge in Vichy France in the Dordogne. He explored Dordogne's famous cave paintings that inspired a series of primitivist paintings.
After the liberation of Paris in 1945, Lahner returned to rue des Perichaux where he began to exhibit his work more frequently. In 1948 he made his first of many trips to Algeria where the Averseng family commissioned him, to design a chapel for the town of El Affroun. This assignment provided an opportunity for Lahner to participate in the fascination with chapel construction and adornment that was then popular in France.
Lahner's exploration of stained glass and its refractive properties during this project had a profound impact on the remainder of his abstract work.
In 1951 he visited the artist Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
in Vallauris, whom he eventually exhibited with at Galerie Daniel Malingue in Paris.
In 1957, at the age of 64, Lahner married Jeanne Cazenave. Following his marriage, Lahner moved from his spartan studio of twenty-five years on rue des Perichaux to an apartment on rue Alfred-Stevens, near the Place Pigalle
Place Pigalle
The Place Pigalle is a public square located in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, between the Boulevard de Clichy and the Boulevard de Rochechouart, near Sacré-Cœur, at the foot of the Montmartre hill...
. In 1959 he met an American art dealer from California named Laszlo Laky. Mr. Laky became one of the artist's closest friends and supporters.
In the spring of 1961 Lahner received critical success in a watershed exhibition at the Galerie Jeanne Castel. This exhibition was under the patronage of Lahner's old friend, Leopold Sedar Senghor
Léopold Sédar Senghor
Léopold Sédar Senghor was a Senegalese poet, politician, and cultural theorist who for two decades served as the first president of Senegal . Senghor was the first African elected as a member of the Académie française. Before independence, he founded the political party called the Senegalese...
, a well-known poet and the former president of Senegal.
From the 1960s until his death in 1980, Lahner continued to exhibit. He was known for his wide breadth of stylistic exploration, informed through his early exposure to the Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
, Constructivist
Constructivism (art)
Constructivism was an artistic and architectural philosophy that originated in Russia beginning in 1919, which was a rejection of the idea of autonomous art. The movement was in favour of art as a practice for social purposes. Constructivism had a great effect on modern art movements of the 20th...
, Synthetic, and Non-objective art movements in Eastern Europe. While living in Paris, he was greatly influenced by Post-Impressionism
Post-Impressionism
Post-Impressionism is the term coined by the British artist and art critic Roger Fry in 1910 to describe the development of French art since Manet. Fry used the term when he organized the 1910 exhibition Manet and Post-Impressionism...
, Fauvism
Fauvism
Fauvism is the style of les Fauves , a short-lived and loose group of early twentieth-century Modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong colour over the representational or realistic values retained by Impressionism...
, Cubism
Cubism
Cubism was a 20th century avant-garde art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture...
, and Primitivism
Primitivism
Primitivism is a Western art movement that borrows visual forms from non-Western or prehistoric peoples, such as Paul Gauguin's inclusion of Tahitian motifs in paintings and ceramics...
. Lahner's close friends included artists and writers Jean Bouret, Leopold Sedar Senghor
Léopold Sédar Senghor
Léopold Sédar Senghor was a Senegalese poet, politician, and cultural theorist who for two decades served as the first president of Senegal . Senghor was the first African elected as a member of the Académie française. Before independence, he founded the political party called the Senegalese...
, Jean Trichet, Marcel Sauvage, and André Masson
André Masson
André-Aimé-René Masson was a French artist.-Biography:Masson was born in Balagny-sur-Thérain, Oise, but was brought up in Belgium. He began his study of art at the age of eleven in Brussels, at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts under the guidance of Constant Montald, and later he studied in Paris...
.