Irwin Shaw Owned Vaszary Painting at Budapest Auction

A still life ‘Wild Flowers’ by Hungarian painter János Vaszary, owned by the family of the world-famous American playwright Irwin Shaw, will be auctioned by the Judit Virág Gallery in Budapest, the gallery informed MTI on Monday.

As they wrote, János Vaszary painted this still life in the 1930s. The painting has been owned by the famous American writer Irwin Shaw and his son, Adam for more than 60 years.

In December 1964, Irwin Shaw, the author of ‘American History’ and ‘The Lion Cubs’, and the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of several world-famous films, visited the Semiha Huber Gallery in Zurich, where János Vaszary's work was on display.

"Shaw was attracted by the beautiful and serene still life, and its value was enhanced in his eyes by the fact that it had been created by a famous Hungarian painter. The writer's wife, Marianne Edwards, was of Hungarian descent and Shaw wanted to show his appreciation to her," the gallery said. Shaw bought the Vaszary painting, which has remained in the family ever since.

"We were contacted by Adam Shaw, Irwin's son, and sent a photo of the painting. We found that it was indeed a Vaszary still life from the second half of the 1930s. We are very honored that the painting will be a major item in our spring auction. It is no wonder that the work attracted the attention of Irwin Shaw at the time," the press release quotes Judit Virág, art historian and co-owner of the gallery.

After more than half a century, Wild Flowers will be on view to the public in Budapest for two weeks, starting on May 5, in a free exhibition at the Judit Virág Gallery. On May 19, the still life will be on sale at an auction in the Budapest Congress Center, with a starting price of HUF 40 million.