Lajos Jambor


Lajos "Louis" Jámbor, also known as Louis Jambor or L. Jambor was a Hungarian-American post-impressionism painter, illustrator and background artist for animation. He is known for his illustrations for the book Little Women, and his symbolic and religious artwork found murals and as decoration in churches. He also created portraits for New York society.

Early life and education

Born as Lajos Jámbor in 1884 in Nagyvárad, Hungary, which became part of Romania after World War I. He attended the Hungarian Royal National School of Arts in Budapest. After graduation he studied religious art in Italy and studied in Dusseldorf, Germany under Frank Gebhard. Jambor was elected to the Royal Academy of Arts, before emigrating to the United States in 1923.

Work

Painting and murals

Lajos Jambor was a muralist, with works in auditoriums, businesses, private estates, and churches of several cities of the United States, particularly Philadelphia and Atlantic City. In 1925, Jambor, working with scenic designer and architect Joseph Urban, painted the patio murals and frescos for Mar-a-lago in Palm Beach, Florida. Jambor painted large panels above the proscenium in the Atlantic City Municipal Auditorium in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Jambor had twenty-six murals painted at the Hotel New Yorker at 481 Eighth Avenue in Manhattan, including murals in the ballroom all of which were painted over in 1975 when the hotel purchased and remodeled. Jambor created a 1938 mural based on Greek mythology located in the Latchis Memorial Building in Brattleboro, Vermont. Jambor created work for the St. Stephen of Hungary Church in New York City, which included a painting of the stations of the cross.
Jambor had been the president of the American Artists Professional League at the time of his death in 1954. He formally served as president of the Salmagundi Club, former treasurer of the American Watercolor Society, and a member of Allied Artists of America, and Audubon Artists.
Jambor's work is found in public collections including the Zigler Art Museum, among others.

Illustration

Jambor illustrated two books by Louisa May Alcott, Little Women and Jo's Boys and his work has been used in later reproductions of these books.

Animation

Jambor worked for Fleischer Studios as a background artist during the time of traditional hand-drawn animation cels, for the 1939 film Gulliver's Travels.

Personal life

Jambor became a United States citizen in 1929. He was married to Violet E. Czopjak-Jambor and he had two children, a daughter and a son.
In 1934, Jambor had lived at Hotel des Artistes on West 67th Street. At the time of his death he lived in The Colosseum building at 435 Riverside Drive in Manhattan, when this was still a private residential building.

Controversy

Jambor's religious paintings have similarity to Warner Sallman, and scholarly writings allege Jambor appropriated Sallman's artwork and aesthetic. Both artists depicted Jesus as a "strong character" with physical strength, however Sallman was attributed in statement about this as early as 1943, and Jambor was quoted in 1949.

Death and legacy

He died at age 69 on June 11, 1954 at St. Luke's Hospital in Manhattan, due to a heart issue. He is buried in the Princeton Cemetery in Princeton, New Jersey.
Jambor's granddaughter, Katherine Violet Alexander created a five minute video about her grandfather.