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Arnold Peter Weisz-Kubínčan prints bring the powerful, expressive art of one of the most original Slovak painters of the interwar years into your home. Weisz-Kubínčan painted hunters, poachers, peasants and the forests and mountains around Dolný Kubín. Many of his works were destroyed in the Holocaust, and the nearly 300 that survive were saved in a hidden suitcase. Our collection of fine art prints includes his hunting scenes, landscapes, figures and portraits.

About Arnold Peter Weisz-Kubínčan

Arnold Weisz was born on 3 March 1898 into a Jewish family in Ujście, then in the German Empire. As a child he moved with his family to Dolný Kubín, in what is now Slovakia. From 1913 to 1917 he studied sculpture at the School of Applied Arts in Budapest, then served in the army on the Balkan Front in the First World War.

In 1918 he resumed his studies in Berlin, where he joined the Expressionist movement. In 1923 he returned to Dolný Kubín, and in 1934 moved to Martin. He began using the name Kubínčan in 1937 and took the name Peter after being baptised in 1940.

When Jews in Martin were deported in 1942, he avoided capture and hid in the mountains for two years with his friend and partner Zorka Kahan-Ring. When they found the bodies of the family who had sheltered them, they gave themselves up so no one else would be killed for helping them. Before he was taken away he hid nearly 300 works in a suitcase in the roof of a house in Martin. He died in 1945, in or soon after leaving a concentration camp. Kahan-Ring recovered the suitcase, and it was later given to the Slovak National Gallery.

Style and Subjects

Weisz-Kubínčan's work grows out of German Expressionism: strong, simplified forms, bold outlines and colour used for feeling rather than description. His figures are sturdy and monumental, his landscapes dark and dramatic.

His great theme is the hunt: hunters and their prey, poachers, men waiting in the forest, and death itself among them. He also painted peasants at work, women with baskets, horses and dogs, and the mountains and villages of northern Slovakia.

Famous Works

• Self-Portrait (1917), Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava. An early self-portrait from his student years.
• Group of Men in the Woods (about 1930), Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava. Figures gathered among dark trees.
• The Roháče Mountains (1933). The peaks near his home town in strong, simple forms.
• Hunters and Death (about 1940), Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava. Hunters accompanied by the figure of Death.
• Poachers (about 1940), Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava. Poachers at work in the forest.
• Hunter in a Blue Forest (about 1940), Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava. A lone hunter in an intensely coloured forest.
• Head of a Man in a Hat (1942), Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava. A late, expressive head painted in the year of the deportations.

Decorating with Weisz-Kubínčan Prints

Weisz-Kubínčan's strong forms and deep colours suit modern and rustic interiors alike: a study, den or living room with wood, stone and earthy tones. The hunting scenes have a powerful, almost mythic quality and make a striking focal point.

His mountain landscapes, such as The Roháče Mountains, bring calm to a bedroom or hallway, and his peasant figures, such as Resting Woman with a Basket, fit a kitchen or reading room.

FAQ

Who was Arnold Peter Weisz-Kubínčan?

He was a Jewish Slovak painter who lived from 1898 to 1945. His work is considered among the most original Slovak art of the interwar period.

How did his paintings survive?

Before he was deported, he hid nearly 300 works in a suitcase in the roof of a house in Martin. His partner Zorka Kahan-Ring recovered it after the war, and it was later donated to the Slovak National Gallery.

What art movement was Weisz-Kubínčan part of?

He joined the Expressionist movement while studying in Berlin after the First World War.

What did Weisz-Kubínčan paint?

He painted hunters, poachers, peasants, animals and the landscapes of northern Slovakia, especially around Dolný Kubín.

Where can I see his work?

The Slovak National Gallery in Bratislava holds the works saved in the suitcase. His art was first exhibited in the United States in 1961.

Related Artists

• Mikuláš Galanda: leading Slovak modernist of the same generation