Arthur Heyer

Key facts

Lived

1872–1931, German

Movement

• Art Nouveau

1. 1872Born on 28 February in Haarhausen, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, aged 0, the second son of schoolteacher Georg Hermann Heyer.
2. 1890Enrolled at the Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin, aged 18, studying under Max Friedrich Koch for five years while publishing his first drawings in newspapers.
3. 1896Moved to Budapest, aged 24, after study trips to Transylvania, earning his living with book illustrations and becoming a naturalised Hungarian citizen in 1900.
4. 1906Held his first exhibition in Budapest, aged 34, displaying the Turkish Angora cat paintings that earned him the nickname "Cat Heyer".
5. 1911Received the Hungarian Count Andrassy Prize in Budapest, aged 39, followed by exhibitions at the Vienna Kunstlerhaus and the Munich Glaspalast.
6. 1915Appointed professor in Budapest, aged 43, consolidating his reputation as one of the foremost animal painters in Central Europe.
7. 1931Died in Budapest, aged 59, and received a state funeral at Kerepesi Cemetery.

• What is Arthur Heyer known for?+

  Arthur Heyer is known for specialising in paintings of Turkish Angora cats. He was even nicknamed Cat Heyer because of this.
• What should I know about Arthur Heyer's prints?+

  Fine art prints are produced using a variety of techniques. These include mezzotint, etching, photogravure and mixed methods. The terminology around prints can be confusing. A vintage print is a photograph printed around the time that the negative was taken. A period print is one made some time after shooting; perhaps up to 10 or 15 years. If the time of printing is unknown, or more than 15 years after shooting, the photograph is described as an old print, as opposed to a modern print. A modern or contemporary print is a recently printed photograph made using the original negative. An original print is a definitive print made by the artist, or under their direct supervision. A facsimile is a print made by re-photographing a print, or by using the original negative; its print base and processing are, to the extent possible, identical to those used for the reference print (generally, a vintage print).
• What techniques or materials did Arthur Heyer use?+

  It is necessary to understand the techniques and processes used by artists to properly analyse their work. Artists are not always confined by the medium in which they work; important choices are made that stand outside the constraints of the materials. In the late 19th century, improvements in photographic technology made it easier for artists to utilise such means. M. L. Winter of Vienna, for example, established an operation in 1877 for the production of enlarged photographs on linen, and proprietary brands of gelatin-silver emulsion-coated linen were available from the 1890s. Oils were frequently used for painting on photographic images, but other materials were also proposed. Instructions published during the 1890s referred to the colouring of photographs on paper supports. An 1894 article recommended the use of transparent and covering colours, made by mixing dry powdered pigments with a medium consisting of filtered albumin, ammonium carbonate, glycerin, liquid ammonia, and water. Another article noted the use of aniline dyes, dissolved in alcohol and applied on the reverse. Another noted the use of oils, watercolours, and pastels, applied over a preparatory layer of gelatin for oils and shellac for watercolours and pastels.
• Where can I see Arthur Heyer's work?+

  It is difficult to pinpoint exactly where you can view works by Arthur Heyer. Museum collections are constantly in flux, and artworks travel for temporary exhibitions. However, several major museums hold collections of art from the Art Deco period, during which Heyer was active. These include institutions in the United States, such as the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art (Winter Park, Florida), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto), the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond), and the Wolfsonian at Florida International University (Miami Beach). In the United Kingdom, you might try the Bakelite Museum (Williton), Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, the Geffrye Museum (London), Manchester Art Gallery, the National Museums of Scotland (Royal Museum, Edinburgh), and the Victoria & Albert Museum (London).
• Where was Arthur Heyer from?+

  Information about Arthur Heyer's origins is scarce in the provided texts. However, other artists' biographies offer some context about European art movements and educational institutions during Heyer's likely lifetime. For example, Lyonel Feininger was born in New York in 1871 but moved to Germany in 1887. He studied at art schools in Hamburg and Berlin, and later in Paris. Similarly, Jean Arp was born in Strasbourg, Alsace-Lorraine, in 1886. He studied in Weimar and Paris before becoming involved with Dada in Zurich. These examples suggest a pattern of artists moving between countries and art centres in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Without direct information about Heyer, it is difficult to specify his exact place of origin. Further research would be needed to determine where he was born and trained.
• Who was Arthur Heyer?+

  Information on an artist named Arthur Heyer is not present in the provided texts. The passages contain biographical notes on artists such as Erich Heckel, Willem Claesz. Heda, Jan Davidsz. de Heem, Maerten van Heemskerck, Bernhard Heisig, Nicholas Hilliard, Meindert Hobbema, David Hockney, Ferdinand Hodler, Hans Hofmann, Albert Gleizes, Vasily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Fernand Leger, Thomas Theodor Heine, and Johannes Itten. These artists worked in varied styles and periods. Heckel was a German Expressionist; Heda and de Heem were still-life painters; Heemskerck was a Netherlandish Romanist; Hilliard painted portrait miniatures; Hobbema was a Dutch painter of wooded scenes; Hodler's style contained Symbolist and Art Nouveau elements. Kandinsky, Klee and Itten were associated with the Bauhaus. The passages do not contain information about Arthur Heyer.
• Why are Arthur Heyer's works important today?+

  Arthur Heyer (1872-1931) was a German-Hungarian artist, best known for his paintings and drawings of animals, particularly cats and dogs. His works are important today because they represent a unique intersection of academic training and popular appeal. Heyer studied at the Budapest School of Art, acquiring skills in realistic depiction. However, he deviated from strict realism to create sentimental and often humorous portrayals of animals. These images, frequently reproduced as prints and postcards, gained considerable popularity during his lifetime and continue to resonate with audiences today. His art provides insight into the cultural attitudes towards pets and animals in the early 20th century, reflecting a growing interest in animal welfare and companionship. Heyer's accessible style and subject matter made art more approachable for a wider audience, bridging the gap between fine art and popular culture.
• When was Arthur Heyer born?+

  Arthur Heyer was born in 1872 in Germany. Arthur Heyer died in 1931, aged 59.
• How did Arthur Heyer die?+

  Arthur Heyer died in 1931 at the age of 59.