Sándor Ziffer

Sándor Ziffer (1880-1962), a Jewish painter, was born in Eger, Hungary, into an ethnically-mixed family of intellectuals. Since childhood, he discovered his passion for art, and especially for music. However, he turned to visual arts after a surgical intervention left him deaf. The paintings of Ziffer were mostly colourful landscapes and portraits.

After studying art and art history in Budapest and Munich, he joined the art colony of Baia Mare, where he finally settled down after WWI. Later, Ziffer became a popular artist in the art colony and a teacher in the art school of Baia Mare. Luckily, during WWII, Ziffer hid his Jewish origin, and escaped deportation.