Artportal.hu

(29. April 1957., Perkáta – )

János Csányi was born into a gypsy musician family. He became a house-painter in Dunaújváros, then in 1976 he moved to Budapest where he graduated from secondary school. At present he lives and paints in Szigetszentmiklós. He organized and led the roma artistic camps of the gypsy house several times from 1991. In 1993 he began to work for Ferenc Makra, decorative painter, who taught him the secrets of this profession. Csányi has been working in this field since then. he has been one of the renovators of Uránia Cinema, the synagogue in Páva street and numerous churches in Budapest and the countryside.

He did not show his paintings to anybody for a long time, but after being urged for a long time, he presented his pictures at the Cultural Centre of Csepel in 1987. His next exhibition took place in 1994 at Móricz House in Leányfalu. Then in 1995 he took his paintings to Perkáta, in 1996 to Budapest to the 9th district, in 1999 to the 14th district to the minority house. In 1999 his paintings were presented in Dunavarsány. In 2000 he took part in the Plein-Art Festival of Contemporary Arts in Ferencváros for several times and then in numerous other collective exhibitions.

In 2009, his pieces exploring religious themes were exhibited in the collection entitled Search For God - Find a Child a show organised for the week of sacred arts that introduced the relegious works of gypsy artists. At present, his paintings are part of the permanent exhibition of the Roma Parliament. In 2002 he illustrated the four gospels published by the Hungarian Protestant Church.

Works in public collections

•  Roma Parliament.