Zsuzsi Roboz

(1929-2012)

Zsuzsi Roboz was a Hungarian-born British painter and portrait artist known for her evocative portraits of writers, musicians, dancers, and theatre figures. Born in Budapest in 1929, she experienced the upheavals of the Second World War before eventually settling in London. After working briefly for the film producer Alexander Korda, she studied in Italy with the painter Pietro Annigoni, whose emphasis on draughtsmanship strongly influenced her work. Roboz became closely associated with portraiture, although she saw herself as more than a conventional portrait painter. Her works sought to capture the creative aura of her sitters rather than simple likeness. Subjects included Georg Solti, Tom Stoppard, Seamus Heaney, P. D. James, and Anita Brookner. Her 2011 series Face to Face focused on leading British and Irish writers. Roboz also maintained a longstanding interest in theatre, dance, and music, producing portraits connected with the Chichester Festival Theatre and the world of ballet. Several of her works are held in the National Portrait Gallery.