Charles Roka
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles Roka (Róka Károly, 1912-1999) was a Hungarian painter living
in Norway whose name became synonymous with an excess of artistic
kitsch.
Roka was born in Hungary in 1912. After he finished his studies on
the Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest he went to a European journey. In
1937 he finally settled in Norway, and lived in Bærum, outside Oslo
until his death.
Roka attended one year at the Academy in Oslo. In 1939 he painted his
first picture of the half-naked Gipsy Girl whom he had seen in Marseille
a few years earlier. It is Roka's numerous variations of this Gipsy Girl
which made his financial success as a painter, but misfortune as an
artist.
Roka was despised by the art world, he was nevertheless loved by the
people. He became famous for his numerous variations of the Gipsy Girl,
exotic looking Gypsies in a pin-up style and sentimental portraits of
children with their pet dogs. His other favourite subjects were
Hungarian folklore, especially Gipsy people dancing csárdás.
Roka had several exhibitions in Madrid, Barcelona, and Lausanne and
he was very popular among the average Scandinavian people. In 1982
illness stopped him working. In 2005 Haugar Vestfold Kunstmuseum held a
summer exhibition under the title Prince of Kitsch displaying about 80
of his works. It was the first time that a venerable art gallery let
Roka's works within its walls.
