Otto Pilny (Swiss, 1866-1936)

The Swiss-born artist started his artistic education in Prague at the time of its cultural dominance over the region. Later he lived in Vienna for a time, until finally settling in Zurich. He was a great admirer of the Orient and in 1889 he travelled to Egypt for the first time. He was enthralled by its landscape, its people and their customs. He was a prolific painter and fuelled by his love for the Orient he has left behind a wide oeuvre in which the warm tones and vibrant atmosphere of tribal desert existence are dominantly present.