Portrait of the Painter Vilmos Aba-Novak

myminifactory

Aba Novák was born in Budapest, Hungary, where he would also meet his untimely demise. His father was Gyula Novák, and his mother was Rosa Waginger (Hungarian: Róza Waginger from Vienna). After completing his studies at the Art School until 1912, he began working under Adolf Fényes' guidance. Between 1912 and 1914, Novák furthered his education at the College of Fine Arts in Budapest. Completing his military service on the Eastern Front during World War I, he took up drawing with Viktor Olgyai as his mentor. Aba Novak was particularly fascinated by circuses and village fair marketplaces, which featured prominently in his early paintings characterized by the vibrant colors of Expressionism and the Italian novocento style. Between 1921 and 1923, he spent his summers working alongside a group of artists in Nagybánya, Romania (see Baia Mare School), and was first showcased in 1924. He was chosen by the Hungarian Academy as a Fellow on a scholarship to Rome (1928 and 1930), becoming a renowned representative of the so-called "Roman School" in Hungarian painting. Aba Novák painted numerous frescoes for the Roman Catholic Church of Jászszentandrás, and Hősök Kapuja (Heroes' Gate - a rare Hungarian example of novecento architecture, commemorating World War I soldiers) in Szeged in 1936 (the latter was whitewashed after 1945, restored between 1986 and 2000), as well as many commissions for the Hungarian government. Aba also worked on frescoes of the Saint Stephen Mausoleum in Székesfehérvár and on the Church in Városmajor, Budapest, in 1938. He received both the jury's Grand Prize at the Paris World Exhibition in 1937 and the 1940 Venice Biennale. As a respected educator, he taught at the College of Fine Arts from 1939 until his passing.