Mihály Munkácsy
1844-1900 Hungary/Realism
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Brief Biography-Mihály Munkácsy, his birth name was Mihály Leó Lieb, was born in Munkács, Hungary, in 1844. He was stricken with extreme poverty when his parents died, his father died in prison just before his mother died, and his uncle took him into his house, where he suffered a lengthy illness. In recognition of his drawing talent, well-wishers helped him travel to Pest and Vienna for tuition. Unable to pay his fees at the Vienna Academy, he went on foot to Munich, where the artist Franz Adam took him under his wing. In Düsseldorf, he received acclaim for his painting The Last Days of a Condemned Prisoner, based on his father’s death; it established him as an artist. He subsequently made his way to France. His success in Paris led to the medal of honour at the Paris Exhibition in 1878 and the Cross of the Legion of Honour in 1890. He remained in Paris for all his working life. However, Munkácsy became Hungary’s most acclaimed artist after his death. He died in Germany; his burial was in Budapest in 1900. |
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