Lajos Markos (1917–1993) was a
Hungarian-American
Hungarian Americans (, ) are Americans of Hungarian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau has estimated that there are approximately 1.396 million Americans of Hungarian descent as of 2018. The total number of people with ethnic Hungarian backgroun ...
artist. He trained at the
Royal Academy of Budapest.
Career
Markos came to the United States following
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and worked as a portrait painter in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, painting celebrities such as
John Wayne
Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...
, Robert F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, President Ronald Reagan, and Pablo Casals. Lajos Markos completed over 2,000 portraits.
In the 1960s, he moved to Houston, Houston, Texas, where he sparked an interest in Western American art. Examples of his work can be found in the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and the Zigler museum, Zigler Museum in Jennings, Louisiana, as well as other museums and private collections. JPMorgan Chase, JP Morgan acquired his works, which are housed today at its main headquarters.
His portraits are scarce. He painted portraits of the 12 "Texas Immortals," which hangs in the Texas Commerce Bank in Houston, the "Siege of the Alamo," which hangs in the Texas State Capitol in Austin, and countless western paintings depicting the history of the cowboy era, which hang in private and corporate collections in the US and abroad. Paintings of Sam Houston, Robert E. Lee, and George S. Patton are in private collections.
Personal life
Markos married an opera singer and routinely played her music as he painted. Robert F. Kennedy assisted Markos in obtaining permission to return to his home country, behind the Iron Curtain, in the early 1960s.
He is buried in Italy, near Udine, in his wife's hometown of Lavariano.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Markos, Lajos
1917 births
1993 deaths
20th-century Hungarian painters
Hungarian male painters
Hungarian emigrants to the United States
20th-century Hungarian male artists