"In the Garden" Lot no. 316
By Wladyslaw T. Benda (1873-1948)
19.00" x 16.00"
Charcoal on Board
Signed Lower Right
SOLD
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ABOUT THE ARTIST
Wladyslaw Theodor Benda is mostly remembered today because of his beautiful character masks. These creations, uniquely his, occupied much of his career and were adopted for theatre and dance performances around the world.
Benda himself had an international background. He was born in Poznan, Poland, and drew from his earliest years. After a false start in civil engineering at the Krakow College of Technology, he switched to the Academy of Art. Following further studies in Vienna, he came to the United States and began his career as an illustrator.
It was the era of the Pretty Girl on magazine covers, and the “Benda Girl” joined the rest, but she stood out as intriguingly exotic among the American types with her elongated eyes. Her success kept Benda busy working for most of the magazines, from The Saturday Evening Post to The Shriner for many years.
Benda became an American citizen but was always proud of his Polish heritage and contributed several poster designs for recruiting Polish patriots during World War I.