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Géza Vastagh came from one of the great dynasties of Hungarian painters in Siebenbürgen. His artistic career began in the atelier of his father, György Vastagh the Elder (1834-1922). Soon, however, the son moved to the artistic metropolis of Munich, where he continued his studies at the private school of his fellow countryman Simon Hóllosy (1857-1918). In addition, he attended Gabriel von Hackl’s courses at the Munich Academy. Géza Vastagh specialized at a young age in depictions of animals, for which he was able to gain a prosperous customer base throughout Europe in only a short time. Wildcats in particular belonged to his preferred motives; Vastagh studied these animals not only in zoos, but also on expeditions to their natural habitat in Africa. The museums of Budapest possess numerous works by Géza Vastagh, but the majority of his oeuvre is still located in private collections – above all in Great Britain and America.