The paintings and drawings of a Bela Kadar (1877–1956) are provocative examples of early twentieth-century art. Exciting and often whimsical in his approach, Kadar adopted a remarkable number of international trends, including Cubism, Futurism, Neo-Primitivism, Constructivism, and the Metaphysical School. Mixing and melding these trends with uncanny ease, Kadar became famous for what critics called his “dashing turns of style.”
Kadar’s favorite themes, including Hungarian peasant courtship, romantic Magyar legends, and the security of domestic life, add to the warmth of his compositions. During the 1920′s and early 1930s, the freshness and charm of his art was celebrated in Budapest, Berlin, Philadelphia, and New York.