A Hungarian born painter and etcher of figure studies, landscape and marine views, Louis Szántó studied art in both Vienna and Budapest before the outbreak of World War One. He served with the Austrian Army from 1914 to 1918.
After the war Louis Szántó developed an international reputation for both his paintings and etchings. He worked and traveled throughout the Baltic States, Italy, France and Holland and exhibited his art in many major centers, including New York and Chicago. In the early years of the Great Depression (c. 1930), Szántó moved to the United States where he worked on art projects commissioned by the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.). During the 1930's he created many American views and often worked in collaboration with the artist, Andrew Karoly. His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1936 Summer Olympics. His works are included in the National Portrait Gallery, owned by the Iowa State Historical Museum.
