Gustave Milklos (1888-1967) arrived in Paris in 1909 from his native Hungary after studying painting at the Fine Art School in Budapest. Joining his compatriot Joseph Czaky, who had arrived a few months earlier, he settled in 'La Ruche' and was very soon exhibiting in the Salon d'Automne* and the Salon des Indépendants*, before joining the French Army in 1914 at the outbreak of World War I.

Serving in the batallion d'Orient, he was posted to Salonica. Here he discovered Byzantine* art, a revelation that proved a major influence in his aesthetic development.?? Back in Paris in 1919, Miklos became closely involved with the artistic avant-garde while developing the range of his technical skills. He spent time in the lacquer workshop of...