Charles Roca (Roca Caroli, 1912–1999) - "Prince of Kitsch" - Norwegian artist of Hungarian origin whose name has become synonymous with excessive artistic sentimentalism.
The artist was born in Hungary in 1912. After completing his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest, he traveled to Europe. In 1937 he settled in Norway and until his death lived in Bärum, near Oslo.
In 1950, he found a gold mine. Roca paints the first portrait of a half-naked gypsy woman, whom he saw in Marseille a few years earlier. It is this theme, with its many variations, that brings financial success. His other favorite subjects remain Hungarian folklore, especially gypsies and children.
Roca holds several exhibitions in Madrid, Barcelona and Lausanne. He was very popular with the Scandinavians. In 1982, an illness stopped his work. In 2003, the Haugar Westfold Art Museum hosted a summer exhibition entitled "Prince Kitsch", which featured about 80 of his works. This was the first time that a venerable art gallery let Roca′s work into its walls.