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The Sindbad of

painters

József Rippl-Rónai

The name of József Rippl-Rónai and that of Kaposvár are Aside from Rippl-Rónai being a fine artist, his work in the

intertwined: many statues, plaques, and even a fountain applied arts is also significant. An outstanding example is
preserve his memory. The artist was born in Kaposvár in the dining room furniture designed on behalf of the And-

1861; aft er finishing his schooling, he worked as an apoth- rássy family; the reconstructed furniture can be seen in

ecary and a home tutor, although, he was really interested the visitor centre built next to the villa.
in painting. After spending years in Munich and Paris, he Also known as the “Sindbad of painters”, Rippl-Rónai died

returned to his home town in the early 1900s and bought in 1927, and his grave is located in the Keleti (Eastern)
a house on Fő Street, where he painted the pictures of his cemetery. His wife, Lazarine, lived within the walls of the

interior period. After he bought the Róma Villa in 1908, villa for another twenty years. After her death, the heirs
a lively social life began within the walls of the cosy build- preserved the nearly eighty paintings and the furnishings;

ing on the Róma Hill. He regularly hosted the great art- the fine art treasures can be seen in their original surround-
ists of the time, while the house and its park served as the ings in the memorial museum opened in 1978. In addition
backdrop for his so-called corn-style paintings (consisting to the buildings and the works of art, the park of the villa is
of small, coloured spots). We know from Rippl-Rónai’s also wonderful. A row of chestnut trees leads from the gate
notes that he was inspired by the flowers of his garden in to the house; the imposing Scots pine near the gate was the

developing his individual style and choosing his colours. painter’s favourite tree. Th e flowering of more than twenty

The bright chrome yellow colour of the zinnia (common thousand daffodils planted at certain spots is particularly

zinnia) lives on in the modern cityscape, because the de- spectacular in the spring.
signers based the visual elements on the painter’s work.

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