Otto Pilny

Otto Pilny (28 June 1866 – 22 July 1936) was a Czech-Swiss painter who specialized in Orientalist genre scenes.

Born in České Budějovice on 28 June 1866, his family moved to Prague in 1873, and he presumably received his artistic education there; but the details are unknown.

He took his first painting trip to the Orient when he was nineteen, and travelled the caravan route from Cairo to Tripoli, accompanied only by his dog.

Following a short stay in Vienna, probably to continue his studies, he moved to Zürich in 1895, married and received Swiss citizenship.

His experiences in North Africa provided the inspiration for his paintings for the rest of his life, and he was one of only a few Orientalist painters who depicted Muslims in prayer.