Born in Kraluppy, Czechoslovakia (1880 - 1945)

George Kars (Karps), The Green Armchair, 1912, drawing and watercolor, 23x30 cm.George Kars received art tutoring at home from an early age. Between 1900 and 1905, Kars was in Munich, where he studied painting at the Academy and the History of Art at the University. In 1908, he settled in Paris. 

Prior to his move to Paris, his work was Impressionistic in style, but while in Paris, Kars was mainly influenced by Cubism and his work became rather analytical.

He created drawings, pastels, and oil paintings with traditional themes: landscapes, cityscapes, still life compositions, nudes, and portraits. Kars exhibited his work at the Salon d'Automne and the Salon des Tuileries in Paris, the Salon de Grenoble, as well as in Geneva, Amsterdam, London, and Japan. His work can be found in museums in France, the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, and Israel.

When the Nazis entered Paris, Kars was away in Lyon – which was not yet occupied –, where he held two exhibitions. The paintings he made during this stay are now in the Lyon Art Museum. In December 1942, he crossed the border into Switzerland, and made a large number of drawings and paintings depicting refugees seeking shelter. Even though Kars himself was saved, upon hearing about the dreadful fate of his family in Czechoslovakia, he committed suicide on February 5, 1945.

In November and December of 1945, a major exhibition was held in his memory in Paris. A retrospective of Kars's work was held at the Mus?e d'Art Moderne in Troyes (France) in 1983.