The Kende family arrived in the U.S.A. as refugees, in late 1956. Ivan  was ten years old. En route, the children were offered welcoming gifts. Rushed along, he chose, a pencil, a pocket notebook and a mysterious toy box with a picture of a truck on it. Landing in New York City the following day, restless from the very long plane ride, he drew a copy of that picture, his first sketch ever. He has been drawing ever since.

​

By the 90's, his earlier realistic styled artworks evolved into ethereal imagery, infused with mythic content. After several years, his artwork transformed once more into his more recent, Neolithic cave art inspired, symbolic interpretations. This final leap was provoked by the coarse, visceral feel of the pigments on the rough cave surfaces. In these new works, metaphysical based concepts are depicted with materials those ancient cave painters had primitive versions of.

​

Ancient art forms and wisdom traditions have become the source as well as the intent of Kende’s imagery.