DLA023-0149  Translation

PESTI HIRLAP

BUDAPEST V, VILMOS CSÁSZÁR-ÚT 78.

PUBLISHERS: LÉGRÁDY BROTHERS

EDITOR’S OFFICE

1935. September 21.

My dear Philip,

My grateful thanks for your kind and honourable lines dated the 18th September, which I have just received and to which I shall answer according to its order.^[1]

You remember my stay in London in a very kind way. It was indeed successful, mainly because I had the opportunity to enjoy your hospitality several times and you honoured me—though not being worthy of it—and painted such a beautiful oil painting of me [111404].

This picture [111404], which I need not mention, caused the biggest sensation in my family and among my friends. I have already told you about the joy of my wife and have sent you her special thanks. Apart from this, the painting was favoured mostly by the narrow group of friends who you have met at ours, such as Ferenc Herczeg,^[2] Ottó Légrády,^[3] Gyula Kornis,^[4] who is at present the rector of the university. He is a relative of mine and also my best friend. He is organising the three hundred year jubilee of the university, a giant world celebration is about to take place. I mention this only incidentally though.

Gyula Kornis was thrilled, just like my old British-American friend Gabriel Wells^[5]—the premier rare book expert dealer of the entire English speaking territories—who I have mentioned to you on several occasions and who happens to be right now also in Budapest and who met the previously mentioned gentlemen many times in my humble house.

[Page 2]

Ottó Légrády always expresses his wish that you should paint Ferenc Herczeg, who is pleased about the idea as well. I keep thinking about a place where we could all meet. I shall come back to this in the appropriate time.

The exact address of Ottó Légrády is as follows:

His Hon.

Sir Dr. Ottó Légrády

Chief Editor of the Pesti Hirlap

Budapest

V. Vilmos Császár str. 78.

I thank you gratefully for all you have written about your Hungarian book.^[6] In that sense, we shall squeeze the biographical preface into four pages, which, due to the fact that we shall use large font and also publish pictures, will ultimately squeeze on hardly more than what fits on two pages of densely written writing paper. I am waiting for the few photographs you have chosen.

Wekerle’s painting [111100], as you have written, I shall have restored, the portrait of the Regent varnished [possibly 110886]. I am going to send Wekerle’s portrait [111100] as well as mine [111404] to the portrait exhibition of the National Salon.^[7] Attached I send a photograph of my painting [111404].

I am waiting for the photograph of the Maharaja of Jaipur [5812], which I am more than happy to print just like everything else you send in the most precious part of the Sunday supplement of our paper.^[8]

Sándor Sztranyavszky,^[9] president of the House of Representatives is a great admirer of your art and cherishes the Regent’s portrait [110886] very much for which sake he had his room completely rearranged. The works are still in progress, as soon as they are finished, I shall have the room photographed

[Page 3]

so that you can see the final and, I think, very well-chosen positioning. When the President learned that the National Salon has asked for your portrait [110886] to be exhibited at the jubilee exhibition, he judged that this painting will be the centrepiece of the exhibition and without it the exhibition would be absolutely unthinkable. He immediately gave his consent for the exhibition, he only had some concerns that you should agree as well. I have dispersed his concerns.

For the opening of the Parliament the previously mentioned works will be finished and the official debut of the Regent’s portrait [110886] can take place.

My dear Philip, I have read with endless pleasure that you spent a nice time in Austria and Italy. I hope you could refresh yourself, though this word is pleonasm in connection with you, because no one can imagine someone more refreshed, who can work harder and who finds more joy in his work than you.

Please give my hand kiss to your honorable wife^[10] and my most cordial wishes to the other members of your family, with whom I have also spent an unforgettably pleasant time in your house. I wish I could see them very soon in Hungary as well.

I embrace you a lot, your old true devotee,

László Siklóssy

Editorial Note:

Doctor László Siklóssy de Pernesz (1881–1951), Hungarian art critic; for biographical notes, see [111404].

KB (summary)

13/10/2009

RE (translation)

18/04/2021