Hungarians in History: the Remarkable Life of Painter Judit Reigl

Outburst (Explosion), 1956, by Judit Reigl.

We love a story about a person who defied odds, went against societal norms, cut their own path in this world and ultimately succeeded. Such is the case with late Expressionist painter Juidt Reigl, who died a few years back almost a century after she was born. Left behind is a large body of work, some of which can be seen in the world’s most prestigious museums, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Tate Modern in London, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

Judit Reigl was born on May 1, 1923, in Kapuvár Hungary. After attending art schools in Hungary and Italy, Reigl was able to emigrate to Western Europe after the Iron Curtain was raised in 1950, eventually moving to Paris, before finding her home and studio in Marcoussis, France. In France she discovered a home of like-minded artists once she was introduced to André Brenton, who is considered the founder of Surrealism. Influenced by the culture of the place and era, she read Rimbaud and took to the Surrealists’ form of ‘automatic writing'.’

photo by Nolgas via Wikipedia Commons

Reigl soon became dissatisfied with Surrealism and painted in modes of Lyrical Abstraction before settling on her more Expressionist style. Reigl was largely undervalued through most of her life, and despite being highly regarded by fellow artists and academics, most of her paintings went unsold. This until Hungarian gallery owner Kálmán Makláry took up her cause, organising a large-scale show at the Műcsarkonk (Art Hall) in Budapest in 2005. This led to a surge of interest in her work and appreciation in the value of her paintings. In her 80’s Reigl became hot property on the international art market, with museums and private collectors snapping up her work.

Of her paintings, Reigl said: “I capture and I emit touches … horizontally, as I advance and advance in waves.” A statement that’s austere and forceful as anything she’s painted. Below find the artist speaking of her paintings in Hungarian before he Budapest show (English subtitles).

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