Mihály Munkácsy

Mihály Munkácsy (orginally Michael von Lieb) was a Hungarian realist painter who lived in Paris and earned an international reputation with his genre pictures and large-scale Biblical paintings. He attended the Academy of Vienna and in 1868 moved to Düsseldorf where he studied under the popular genre painter Ludwig Knaus. His early work is mostly genre and shows a serious concern for the struggles of the poor. Most of Munkácsy’s work was done in Paris, where he spent the greatest part of his life. During the 1880s he painted many salon pictures, scenes set in lavishly furnished rooms in the homes of wealthy people. These works were extremely popular and helped to establish his international reputation. Throughout this period Munkácsy continued to paint genre scenes as well as dramatic, intensely emotional landscapes. In general, his moody landscapes are dominated by the contrast of heavy greens and brown and often include delicate young women. In the final years of his life Munkácsy suffered from depression and returned to Hungary, where his success inspired a new wave of national artistic endeavor.

In 2005, the Hungarian National Gallery organized the first comprehensive exhibition of Munkacsy's paintings.