When we began preparing the exhibition The Art of György Fekete together with the interior designer and applied artist himself, we never imagined that by the time it opened, we would already have to refer to it as a memorial exhibition.
The Art of György Fekete
Our exhibition Mosaics of Dedication presents the works created during the final decade of the life of the Artist of the Nation, György Fekete (1932-2021). He referred to these creations as “mosaics” in reference to the countless small pieces of wood incorporated into them. They were crafted from wood with the meticulous precision and patience required by the mosaic technique. At the same time, thanks to their various applied components, they can also be described as object collages. Their rich symbolic content faithfully reflects the artist’s deep Calvinist faith, patriotism, and respect for his predecessors as well as for the craft of woodworking.
These works are the imprints of the thinking of a cultural policymaker with a national vision and of an artist who approached the various branches of art in an integrated way. The exhibition presents the part of György Fekete’s artistic legacy that found its home in Zalaegerszeg. It gained a poignant relevance when, having begun preparing the exhibition together with the interior designer and applied artist himself, we realized that by the time it opened in 2022, it had become a memorial exhibition.
György Fekete: Message
“I send my message to the earth, the trees, the winds, the waters, the clouds, the mountains and the embrace of the valleys, thanking them for the incomprehensible richness and wonders of the natural world, for the privileged touch of their inspiration, and for the visions of images and objects that pulsed within them…
I send my message to Heaven: I am grateful for having been sent into this world, and for feeling its touch, encouragement and care even in my darkest moments. I thank it for watching over my destiny, and for the miracle of knowing the hope of a safe final homecoming…
I send my message to the materials, the tools and the masters of craftsmanship, thanking them for helping my hands fulfil their abilities; and to the people of the spirit, for awakening my attention to the great questions of existence and holding me accountable in those crucial moments when intentions had to be proven through deeds.
Only in this way could dreams become experiments, experiments become plans, and, in their wake, works of art spread their wings.
I send my message to my Homeland: it has been my reward to be its son, to be cradled into life in its embrace, to grow into a human being in its strong arms, to find my place beneath its common roof in the service of preserving the nation, in celebration, and in prayers of thanksgiving…”
Did You Know? – Ancient Tree
An interesting feature of the 2016 Tree of Life mosaic entitled Ancient Tree is that it consists of approximately 1,000 wooden cross-sections, all taken from the trees and shrubs growing in György Fekete’s own garden.
Biography of György Fekete
György Fekete (28 September 1932, Zalaegerszeg – 15 April 2021, Budapest) was an interior designer, applied artist, cultural policymaker and university professor.
1948-1952 – Secondary Technical School of Metallurgy and Mechanical Engineering, Budapest
1952-1957 – Hungarian College of Applied Arts, Budapest, graduated with honours
1957-1996 – Lead Designer at the General Building Design Company (ÁÉTV)
From 1964 – Freelance applied artist
1966 – Munkácsy Mihály Prize
1978 – Hungarian Television Excellence Award
1980 – Exhibition Gold Medal, Novi Sad (Yugoslavia)
1980-1983 – Director of the Secondary School of Fine and Applied Arts
1982 – Gold Medal, International Horticultural Exhibition (Erfurt, GDR)
1984 – Meritorious Artist of the Hungarian People’s Republic
1985 – Hungarian Advertising Award
1986-1989 – Artistic Director of the Applied Arts Company
1986-1989 – Vice President of the Association of Hungarian Fine and Applied Artists
1990-1994 – Deputy State Secretary, Ministry of Culture and Public Education
1993-1994 – President of the National Cultural Fund
1994-1998 – Member of Parliament, Member of the Parliamentary Committee on Culture
From 1995 – Co-Chair of the Hungarian Heritage Committee
1995-2011 – Member of the Hungarian Academy of Arts (public association), President (2010–2011)
1996 – Loyalty Award of the National Civic Circle
From 1997 – Professor, later Professor Emeritus, University of West Hungary (Sopron)
1998 – Gold Medal of the Hungarian Academy of Arts (public association)
1998 – Hungarian Art Award
2000 – Honorary Citizen of Zalaegerszeg
2006 – Honorary Citizen of Tornyospálca
2011 – Prima Prize
2011-2017 – President of the Hungarian Academy of Arts
2012 – Kossuth Prize
2012 – Medal of Merit of the President of the Republic of Hungary
2012 – Gyurkovics Tibor Memorial Ring
2014-2017 – Chair of the Artist of the Nation Award Committee
2017 – Grand Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit
From 2017 – Honorary President of the Hungarian Academy of Arts
