Elmyr De Hory (1906-1976) - Rostro

Elmyr de Hory (1906–1976)

Portrait

Ink on paper. Hand-signed.

Original work by Elmyr de Hory, one of the most fascinating and controversial figures in 20th-century art history. Born in Budapest in 1906 and died in Ibiza in 1976, he gained international notoriety for his extraordinary ability to recreate the styles of some of the great masters of modern art, including Picasso, Matisse, Modigliani, Derain, or Dufy. His life inspired Clifford Irving’s book Fake!, and he was immortalized by Orson Welles in the famous documentary F for Fake (1973), a fundamental work on authenticity and the art market.

After his activity as a forger was revealed, criticism and collecting began to value his signed output, recognizing in Elmyr an artist with his own language, an extraordinary capacity for synthesis, and an exceptional command of drawing.

The present work represents a three-quarter male portrait. The face, with intense expressiveness, is constructed through spontaneous and confident strokes, with a combination of rapid and precise lines that masterfully define the anatomy and psychology of the subject. The economy of means, the ease of drawing, and the compositional elegance reveal the artist’s great graphic dexterity and evoke the tradition of the European modern portrait.

Far from being a mere exercise in style, this drawing demonstrates Elmyr’s ability to create characters of strong presence with just a few strokes, a quality that characterizes his best works on paper.

Technique: Ink on paper.
Signature: Hand-signed in the lower right corner.
Format: (25x19 cm).
Condition: Very good, with slight signs of aging and handling typical of the age of the support.