Róbert Berény

In 1904, at age 17, he studied under Tivadar Zemplényi before moving to Paris to study at the Académie Julian, where he was influenced by Cézanne and Fauvism.¹

As a member of the avant-garde group 'The Eight,' he introduced Cubism and Expressionism to Hungary, bringing French modernist influences to his home country.¹

In 1913, he painted a portrait of composer Béla Bartók, reflecting his deep involvement in Hungary's radical intellectual currents in music and literature.¹

In 1919, he led the painting department of the Art Directorate. After the republic's fall, he emigrated to Berlin, living there until his return to Hungary in 1926.¹

From 1934, he worked in Zebegény near the Danube Bend. He established his reputation in the Hungarian art scene, winning the Szinnyei Prize in 1936.¹

During the last year of WWII, his studio and many works were destroyed. After the war, he became a teacher at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts.¹

Under the post-war communist government, he served as a professor at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts until his death in 1953.¹

In 2009, his lost painting 'Sleeping Lady with Black Vase' was rediscovered by an art historian who spotted it used as a prop in the film 'Stuart Little.'¹

In 2014, the painting found in the film was sold at auction in Budapest for €229,500, a global news event that renewed interest in his work.¹