Timeline
- 1872Born on 28 February in Haarhausen, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, aged 0, the second son of schoolteacher Georg Hermann Heyer.
- 1890Enrolled at the Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin, aged 18, studying under Max Friedrich Koch for five years while publishing his first drawings in newspapers.
- 1896Moved to Budapest, aged 24, after study trips to Transylvania, earning his living with book illustrations and becoming a naturalised Hungarian citizen in 1900.
- 1906Held his first exhibition in Budapest, aged 34, displaying the Turkish Angora cat paintings that earned him the nickname "Cat Heyer".
- 1911Received the Hungarian Count Andrassy Prize in Budapest, aged 39, followed by exhibitions at the Vienna Kunstlerhaus and the Munich Glaspalast.
- 1915Appointed professor in Budapest, aged 43, consolidating his reputation as one of the foremost animal painters in Central Europe.
- 1931Died in Budapest, aged 59, and received a state funeral at Kerepesi Cemetery.
Notable Works
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Arthur Heyer known for?
Arthur Heyer is known for specialising in paintings of Turkish Angora cats. He was even nicknamed Cat Heyer because of this.Where can I see Arthur Heyer's work?
It is difficult to pinpoint exactly where you can view works by Arthur Heyer. Museum collections are constantly in flux, and artworks travel for temporary exhibitions. However, several major museums hold collections of art from the Art Deco period, during which Heyer was active. These include institutions in the United States, such as the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art (Winter Park, Florida), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto), the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond), and the Wolfsonian at Florida International University (Miami Beach). In the United Kingdom, you might try the Bakelite Museum (Williton), Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, the Geffrye Museum (London), Manchester Art Gallery, the National Museums of Scotland (Royal Museum, Edinburgh), and the Victoria & Albert Museum (London).Why are Arthur Heyer's works important today?
Arthur Heyer (1872-1931) was a German-Hungarian artist, best known for his paintings and drawings of animals, particularly cats and dogs. His works are important today because they represent a unique intersection of academic training and popular appeal. Heyer studied at the Budapest School of Art, acquiring skills in realistic depiction. However, he deviated from strict realism to create sentimental and often humorous portrayals of animals. These images, frequently reproduced as prints and postcards, gained considerable popularity during his lifetime and continue to resonate with audiences today. His art provides insight into the cultural attitudes towards pets and animals in the early 20th century, reflecting a growing interest in animal welfare and companionship. Heyer's accessible style and subject matter made art more approachable for a wider audience, bridging the gap between fine art and popular culture.When was Arthur Heyer born?
Arthur Heyer was born in 1872 in Germany. Arthur Heyer died in 1931, aged 59.How did Arthur Heyer die?
Arthur Heyer died in 1931 at the age of 59.
Sources
Editorial draws on the following primary and tertiary references for Arthur Heyer.
- [1] wikidata Wikidata: Q324000 Used for: identifiers.
- [2] book By Jeffrey Taylor, In Search of the Budapest Secession: The Artist Proletariat and the Modernism’s rise in the Hungarian Art Market, 1800-1914 Used for: biography.
Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-09-30. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.
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