Santa Fe's Odon Hullenkremer was an artist of international stature; a brilliant draftsman and colorist whose devotion to traditional realism made him one of the great portrait painters of his time.

Born in Budapest, Hungary on June 1, 1888 Odon Hullenkremer showed both skill and passion for art even as a small child. At age 15, the self-taught artist entered a painting competition in Budapest, taking first prize. Because Odon Hullenkremer was an unknown, the judges went to his home to verify authorship of the painting. When Odon's mother and sister professed no knowledge of his entry in the competition, the judges thought they had uncovered a fraud. The sister did say, however, that Odon spent a great deal of time "fussing around" i...