Lot 67
Rudolf Bém (1874 - 1955) PORTRAIT OF EMPEROR FRANZ JOSEPH'S GRANDDAUGHTER

50 x 39,5 cm (h x w)

Starting price
35 000 CZK
   |   1 400 €
Price realized
85 000 CZK
   |   3 400 €
price without premium
This profile of a girl's face excellently represents the portrait art of Rudolf Bém, a painter who was in high demand during his time, but today is somewhat forgotten. The painting style and color used date the painting to the period of the fin de siècle. The face of the girl is marked by vitality and mild modeling, enhancing the girl's still childish charm. The artist painted the young Gabriela Windisch-Graetz at Gonobitz Castle in Styria. Already as a student of the Academy of Fine Arts studying under Professor Hynais, Rudolf Bém received a number of awards. He was a member of the Mánes association and the Union of Fine Artists, and his paintings were purchased by five ministries. He also found favor among a number of important figureheads and cultural celebrities, whose portraits he also painted. After the establishment of the independent state of Czechoslovakia, he decided to make a fundamental change to his artistic life. Inspired by patriotism, in 1919 he changed his name to Vratislav Hlava. Signed and dated lower right “Rudolf Bém/1902“, inscription in the upper right corner “Princezna Gabriela Windisch–Graetzová, 1902, zámek Gonobitz, Štýrsko“ (Princess Gabriela Windisch-Graetz, 1902, Gonobitz Castle, Styria).

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