Portrait Of Mrs. Claude Leigh And Miss Virginia Leigh (1933) by Philip Alexius de László

Philip Alexius de László (1869–1937), Hungarian, Renowned for his luminous, psychologically penetrating portraits, this Hungarian-born painter became one of the most sought-after society artists of the early 20th century. His work bridged the grandeur of Old Master techniques with a modern sensibility, capturing the elegance and inner vitality of his sitters—royalty, politicians, and cultural luminaries alike. Trained in Munich and Paris, he absorbed the loose brushwork of Impressionism but refined it into a polished, almost velvety realism, often infusing his subjects with an arresting immediacy. Light played a central role in his compositions, draping fabrics and faces with a shimmering delicacy that suggested both opulence and intimacy.
Though he settled in London and became a British citizen, his clientele spanned Europe and America, including figures like Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and Pope Leo XIII. Unlike many portraitists of his era, he avoided stiff formalism; even his grandest commissions conveyed a sense of fleeting emotion, as if the sitter had just paused mid-conversation. Critics occasionally dismissed his work as overly flattering, yet his ability to reveal personality beneath the trappings of status secured his legacy. Political turmoil—including wrongful imprisonment during WWI—shadowed his later years, but his output remained prolific until his death. Today, his paintings are prized for their technical mastery and their uncanny ability to make history feel vividly alive.