Lajos Markos (Hungary / Texas, 1917-1993), portrait of actor and director Michael Parks in the role of outlaw Josey Wales, oil on panel, dedicated by the artist at lower left, signed and dated lower left (1979) with artist's dedication "To his friend, with respect"

sight: 20 x 16 in., frame: 29 x 25 in.

Michael Parks directed and starred in “The Return of the Outlaw Jose Wales” which was filmed at Alamo Village in Brackettville, Texas; this lot accompanied by a VHS tape of that movie

Provenance: From the collection of Happy Shahan, the owner of Alamo Village; this piece hung in his office near the cantina at Alamo Village

Born in Hungary, Lajos Markos earned his art training at the Royal Academy of Budapest. He came to the United States following World War II and quickly established himself in New York City as a major portrait artist, with many of his subjects being celebrities such as John Wayne and Pablo Casals. In the 1960s, he moved to Houston, Texas, where he expanded his interest to Western art. Examples of his work are in the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, as well as numerous public and private collections.