9 Ink Portrait from the 1933 Geneva Disarmament Conference

Each drawing with Kelen’s signature and the name of the person portrayed. 9 p. Emery Kelen (born Imre Kelen, 1896–1978) was a Hungarian caricaturist, graphic artist, writer, and television producer, best known for his political drawings created during his time as the official illustrator for the League of Nations in Geneva. The Geneva Disarmament Conference, held between 1932 and 1934, was a major international effort to promote world peace and prevent another global war after the devastating effects of World War I. It was organized by the League of Nations and brought together representatives from over 60 countries, including major powers like Britain, France, Germany, the Soviet Union, the United States, Italy, and Japan. In February 1933, at the Geneva Disarmament Conference Kelen created a series of nine ink portraits of key political figures in attendance. These included: Gábor Tánczos (1872–1953), Hungarian general and newly appointed head of the Hungarian delegation Arthur Henderson (1863–1935), British politician and president of the conference; Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 1934 Hjalmar Schacht (1877–1970), President of the German Reichsbank Franz von Papen (1879–1969), Vice-Chancellor of Germany Józef Beck (1894–1944), Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Kurt Schuschnigg (1897–1977), who later became Chancellor of Austria in 1934 Joseph Goebbels (1897–1945), German Minister of Propaganda Jean Louis Barthou, French Minister of Foreign Affairs Kelen’s artistic career began in Hungary, where he worked for the satirical magazine Borsszem Jankó. After leaving Hungary in 1919, he studied painting in Munich and settled in Switzerland, where he, together with Alajos Derso, became one of the "official sketch artists" of the League of Nations. Working as a team, they drew on a rotating desk—Kelen being left-handed and Derso right-handed. Their live caricatures of diplomats and politicians at major international events gained worldwide recognition. In 1938, Kelen moved to the United States, where he continued illustrating for the United Nations and worked in television until 1963, producing Hungarian-language programming. Each drawing with Kelen’s signature and the name of the person portrayed.…