Paul Penczner

Paul Joseph Penczner (September 17, 1916 – June 27, 2010) was a Hungarian-born artist who lived in the United States.

The artist was born in a small town near Budapest, Hungary. As a child, he showed talent in art. At that time, Pope Pius XII accepted a series of his works commemorating the founding of a Hungarian religious order. During World War II, he was a second lieutenant in the Hungarian army, then serving in alliance with the Wehrmacht under the direction of Germany's NAZI regime. Near the city of Cegled, he was wounded by a Soviet T34 tank and suffered damage to his eyesight. He was later transferred to the western front. At the end of the war, he was held for a number of months by Allied forces. After being released, he applied for immigration to the United States. While awaiting permission to immigrate, he spent several years painting portraits and landscapes in Europe.

In 1951, Penczner came to the United States with his German born wife, Jolanda. They settled in Memphis, Tennessee. Commissions for portraits began almost immediately. He spent the next fifty five years in Memphis, where he established the Penczner Fine Art Studio. During this time, he painted the portraits of many well known southerners, including Governor Winfield Dunn. For many years, he taught drawing, painting, and portraiture. Penczner was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.