Alfred Lakos (Hungarian 1870-1961)

"Kavana" "Rabbi at Prayer," oil on canvas, 15.5 X 12 in, signed. This painting is believed to be a (profile) portrait of the Grand Rabbi of Budapest(and senator in the Hungarian Parliament) Rabbi Koppel Reich zt'l (1838–1929)Provenance: Sothebys Auction 4/15/98 Page 77 Alfred Lakos (1870 - 1961 Budapest Hungary) was the most famous Jewish-Hungarian artist who specialized primarily in Jewish subjects. A contemporary of Isidor Kaufmann, he studied with Simon Hollosy and Bertalan Szekely. In 1909 Lakos visited Israel and taught at the Bezalel School of Art in Jerusalem. He exhibited at the First Jewish Congress. He also spent a period in Paris, followed by a stay in the USA during WWII. Apart from painting scenes from the Jewish life, Lakos was a renowned illustrator and cartoonist, and a contributor to the magazines "Le Rire", "Lustige Blatter", "Neue Fliegende", "Borsszem Janko" and others. His works are part of the collections of the Jewish Museum in Budapest and the Hungarian National Gallery and important private collections around the world.