Jozef Fabini

A doctor of law who became a National Artist: born in Olcnava in the Spiš region, he read law at Comenius University while training as a painter on the side — in Eugen Krón's evening courses, privately with Elemér Halász-Hradil and finally in the drawing department of the Slovak Technical University under Martin Benka and Gustáv Mallý. In 1948–1952 he directed the East Slovak Museum in Košice; his art evolved from sombre Košice lanes in Krón's spirit to panoramic landscapes of eastern Slovakia and the play of light in Spiš. In 1978 he received the title of National Artist; the Slovak Valley in our collection belongs to his mature landscape work.