Willy Pogány

William Andrew ("Willy") Pogány (August 1882 – 30 July 1955) was a Hungarian prolific illustrator of children's and adult books.Born Vilmos Andreas Pogány in Szeged, Hungary. He studied at Budapest Technical University and in Munich and Paris. Pogany came to America via Paris and London. In London, he produced his four masterpieces, Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1910), Richard Wagner's Tannhauser (1911), Parsifal (1912) and Lohengrin (1913).In 1918 he illustrated a children's rewrite of Homer, The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy, retold by Padraic Colum.Pogány's best known works consist of illustrations of classic myths and legends done in the Art Nouveau style. He also worked as an art director on several Hollywood films, including Fashions of 1934 and Dames.Pogány authored three art instruction books: Willy Pogány's Drawing Lessons, Willy Pogány's Oil Painting Lessons, and Willy Pogány's Water Color Lessons, Including Gouache.Pogány's public art can be seen on the walls of the Ringling Mansion in Sarasota, FL, the theatre of El Museo del Barrio at 1230 Fifth Ave., and the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on 45th St in NYC.Pogány died in Manhattan, New York City.