SwissArtGallery · Documented identity
French painter of Hungarian origin, Árpád Szenes develops his work from poetic intimacy towards contemplative landscapes in which figurative references become less pronounced. Pierre Georgel describes a painting that is increasingly fluid, elliptical and allusive, oriented towards harmony and silence. Around 1930, his first independent paintings give a place to the wonder of everyday life, notably in L’Harmonium (1932), L’Obstacle (1935) and the various Villa des Camélias (1931–1933). After 1955, landscapes become a major focus of his work: the Portuguese coast, Île-de-France, the Venetian lagoon and the high plateaus of Castile are among the places that inform these contemplative compositions.
Born in Budapest in 1897 and died in Paris in 1985, Szenes entered the Free Academy of Budapest after his military service from 1916 to 1918, where he studied with József Rippl-Rónai. From 1924, he travelled in Europe before settling in Paris in 1925. He attended the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, where he met Maria Helena Vieira da Silva; they married in 1930. In 1931, he studied printmaking at Stanley William Hayter’s Atelier 17. The couple left Paris for Lisbon in 1939, then went to Brazil in 1940. That same year, Szenes exhibited his recent works at the National Secretariat in Lisbon. After returning to France in 1947, he continued his investigations into landscape and space. Following his return, he began the Banquets series, consisting of elongated paintings. A trip to Portugal and southern Spain in 1958 accompanied a more landscape-oriented direction in his work. In 1949, the state acquired Composition (l’Atelier), painted the previous year, and deposited it at the Musée des beaux-arts de Nîmes.
Szenes became a French citizen in 1956. Works acquired by museums include Archipel, which entered the Musée Fabre in Montpellier, and L’Algarve (1964), acquired by the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen. From 1972, a retrospective of his works travelled to museums in France. In 1977, his work was presented in Budapest and then in Pécs.
This profile brings together identity references for Árpád Szenes and paintings, drawings and works on paper documented in auction catalogues.
Artcurial Beurret Bailly Widmer · DognyAuction · Kornfeld · Genève Enchères · Piguet
References include catalogue entries and available results; they do not all represent completed sales. Attributed works and special lots are excluded from the priced results.
Gouache
Composition
gouache
Catalogue period : 2025-09-24
Published result : 2000 CHF
Fees not specified in the available data
Estimate : CHF 1500–2000
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Gouache on paper
Composition (paysage)
Gouache auf Papier
Catalogue period : 2024-09-06
Published result : 1609 CHF
Including buyer’s premium
Estimate : CHF 1000–1500
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Gouache on paper
Composition (paysage)
Gouache auf Papier
Catalogue period : 2024-09-06
Published result : 990 CHF
Including buyer’s premium
Estimate : CHF 800–1200
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Gouache on paper
Composition (paysage)
Gouache auf Papier
Catalogue period : 2024-09-06
Published result : 3713 CHF
Including buyer’s premium
Estimate : CHF 1200–1500
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Gouache on paper
L' Echelonnée
Gouache auf Papier
Catalogue period : 2024-09-06
Published result : 6808 CHF
Including buyer’s premium
Estimate : CHF 3000–5000
View the lot at the auction house ↗Gouache
Composition-Paysage
gouache
Catalogue period : 2023-06-15
Published result : 13000 CHF
Hammer price, excluding fees
Estimate : CHF 10000
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gouache sur papier
Date to be documented
Published result : 2497 CHF
Fees not specified in the available data
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Gouache
Árpád SZENES (1897-1985), 'Composition'
gouache
Date to be documented
Published result : 1998 CHF
Fees not specified in the available data
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Oil on canvas
"Couchant",
huile sur toile
Catalogue period : 2021-12-08
Published result : 43000 CHF
Fees not specified in the available data
Estimate : CHF 20000–30000
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Oil on paper
Brisants XXXII"
huile sur papier
Catalogue period : 2020-09-23
Published result : 5500 CHF
Fees not specified in the available data
Estimate : CHF 4000–6000
View the lot at the auction house ↗SwissArtGallery documentary note based on the cited sources. Titles, media and qualifications are provided in the profile language; the original catalogue wording remains available in each record.
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