Elegant Portrait Of A Man Wearing A Kufi Or A Taraz - Olga Dormandi (1900–1971)

Oil on canvas by Olga Dormandi (1900–1971), signed lower left and dated 1954, depicting an elegant portrait of a man wearing a hat of the Taraz (Armenia) or kufi (North Africa) style. The canvas has been restored in two places (see the back of the canvas and photo #3; a slight mark is visible near the subject’s left shoulder). A stamp reading “The Paris American Art Company” is affixed to the back, on the stretcher. Dimensions: 45 x 38 cm

Biography of Olga Dormandi:

Olga Dormandi was born in Budapest on February 19, 1900, and died in the 12th arrondissement of Paris on December 29, 1971. A native of Hungary and educated in a rich cultural environment, she carried on the tradition of the major modern movements through figurative art and portraiture, alongside international artists who helped renew the pictorial language of the 20th century. She exhibited at the Ernst Museum in Budapest in 1922. By the 1930s, she had established her artistic style. She fled Hungary with her family in 1938. Since Austria had been annexed by Germany during the Anschluss—a sign that the Nazis were also advancing toward Hungary—they found refuge in Paris. During the war, she was forced to maintain a low profile and devoted herself at the time to working with ceramics. At the end of the war, she resumed painting and drawing. A significant milestone in her career occurred in 1949 when her work was exhibited at the renowned Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, a major hub of the Parisian art scene. This exhibition confirmed her integration into an active and recognized artistic community. Her career was also marked by connections with artists of her time, notably Róbert Berény, a leading figure in Hungarian modernism. Her work is distinguished by a particular attention to color—with a highly recognizable palette—a light touch in her handling of the medium, and a focus on the deconstruction of movement. She subsequently pursued a career as a portrait artist in the United States. Close to psychoanalytic circles, her portraits reflect a quest for depth. One of her paintings was acquired by the Louvre in the 1950s. Beginning in 1956, she made two trips a year to the United States, where she painted numerous portraits in various cities (New York, Chicago, Kansas City). She also exhibited extensively (Paris, London, New York, Chicago, etc.) and taught for several consecutive years at the Kansas City Art School.