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ANDRÁSSY KURTA János
sculptor and artist in ore
(Kiskóh [Chişcău, RO], 23^rd November 1911)

1931–35: Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts; department of sculptural arts, his master: Jenő Bory. After graduating he worked in Ferenc Medgyessy’s studio. 1968, 1971: award of excellence; 1981: honorary citizen of Sárospatak; 1992: Cross of Distinction of the Hungarian Republic Medal. Leading member of UME (Union of New Artists), KUT (New Society of Artists), the Hungarian Arts Academy, and the Union of Hungarian Artists. Lives in Budapest. Has his works exhibited from 1931. His works appear at group exhibitions of the Műcsarnok and of the Nemzeti Szalon, as well as at ones organised by KUT and UME. He loses his place in the arts life after1945, and resumes his position as an artist with commissions and exhibitions only after 1954. Apart from sculptures he also produces paintings and drawings. His writings on art are published in various periodicals and daily newspapers. In 1975 he bestows his life’s work on the town of Sárospatak. In 1982 his permanent exhibition at the Sárospatak Gallery was opened, which was later restored in 1991. His art is well characterised by his works born in the 1930s, which are gigantic, realist pieces of closed composition, making good use of the features of their material, along with relieves and statuettes of great force and density. In his religious pieces he made an attempt to find the Hungarian style.
Poor genre characters of symbolic and religious approach as well as popular motifs are represented in his works. He depicts the typical movements of the working people. His statuettes are characterised by strong social sensitivity. He has an inclination to produce stout figures embedded in monumental blocks. His sculptures are simple compositions, chiefly characteristic portraits. He has a populist way of looking at things. His relieves are of fine tracing. In the 1940s he took up collecting surviving artefacts of popular sculpture, with the aim of producing new pieces based on popular forms and themes. His works of the 1940s experience a shift of topics toward female nudes (Léda etc), new solutions in plasticism, rounded shapes and common beauty, his lively techniques of surface dressing become softer, he abandons his dramatic tools of expression and the block-like shapes, and explores the play of light and shadow on the surface. From the mid-1950s he produces pieces aimed for public places, and pairs of his statuettes born in the 1930s. In the years between 1954 and 1960 he carves great female figures of lyric beauty. They are again block-like, ignoring details, instead concentrating on proportions and on the expression of a movement. From the late-1940s he makes nude statuettes in bronze. His more relaxed sculptures of the 1960s are also more abstract, with rounded shapes, his technique is characterised by curved statuettes and figures outlined in one line.

Publications: Sculpture of the Hungarian people, Bp., 1944; Modern art and populism, Bp., 1947.

One-man shows: 1938: Tamás G. [with Endre Bálint]; 1940: Tamás G. [with Zoltán Freytag]; 1944: Tamás G. [with Géza Boross]; 1948: Főv. Népművelési Közp. [with László Bartha]; 1961: Műcsarnok; 1966: Műcsarnok; 1976: Rákóczi M., Sárospatak; 1979: Sátoraljaújhely, a culture hall of the bakery company; 1982: Sárospatak G. (permanent exhibition); 1992: Vésztő; 1993: Kecskemét; 1994: Tornyai J. M., Hódmezővásárhely; Hajdúszoboszló; Debrecen; 1996: Vigadó G.

Selected group exhibitions: 1934: Spring G., Nemzeti Szalon; from 1934: Exhibition of the Munkácsy Guild, Nemzeti Szalon; 1935: Hungarian fine art., Káldor László G. [with an extended material]; 1937: Jubilee exhibition of KUT, Nemzeti Szalon; 1938: Modern Hungarian statuettes, Tamás G.; 1940: XXII. Biennial at Velence; UME, Nemzeti Szalon; Hungarian statuettes tuday, Tamás G.; from 1940: For Hungarian Art, old Műcsarnok and Műcsarnok; 1941: 95^th group exhibition, Nemzeti Szalon (with extended material); Exhibition of Hungarian religious art, Nemzeti Szalon; Five painters, three sculptors, Műbarát: 80-year jubilee exhibition of OMKE, Műcsarnok; 1942: Self-portraits of today’s Hungarian artists, Tamás G.; XXIII. Biennial at Velence; 1944: 50 Years of Hungarian art, FK; 1946: Young Hungarian visual artists, FK; 1948: Hungarian reality, FK; Exhibition of 90 artists, Nemzeti Szalon; 1950: 1^st Hungarian fine art exhibition, Műcsarnok; 1960: Art of the liberated Budapest, Nemzeti Szalon; 1962: 9^th Hungarian fine art exhibition, Műcsarnok; 1966: Hungarian sculpture 1920–1945. Hungarian art in the 20^th century, Csók G., Székesfehérvár; 1964: 8^th National Fine Art exhibition, Herman O. M., Miskolc; 1969: Hungarian art 1945–1969, Műcsarnok; 1974: 4^th National Statuette Biennial., Pécs.

Works in public collections: JPM Modern Hungarian G., Pécs; MNG; PIM; Sárospatak G..

Works in public places: Woman on the run (stone, 1940, erected in 1942, Nyíregyháza, since 1975 in front of the hospital); István Széchenyi (stone, 1940, erected in 1941, Balatonfüred); Drinking fountain for horses (limestone, 1942, Bp. XII. district, corner of Istenhegyi Street and Nógrádi Street); Memorial plaque for Pál Kitaibel (1944, Bp.); Memorial plaque for Dezső Szabó (1947, Bp.); Mother with her child – fountain-statue (stone, 1955, Bp. X. district, 150, Gyömrői Street, créche of the Electro-rotor Company); Bust of Henrik Fazola (bronze, 1957, Diósgyőr, guest house of the Metallurgy Works); Dance-relief (limestone, 1958, Szolnok, building of the County Council of the Trade Union); Shepherd-boy relief (stone, 1958, Bp. I. district, 16, Fortuna Street); Summer-relief – ornamental fountain (limestone, 1959, Bp. XII. district, 62, Dániel Street, holiday resort of the Printing- and Paper-industry Workers’ Trade Union); Boy playing with spinning-top (bronze, 1961, Szombathely, Színház köz); Music, Drama-relief (limestone, 1961, Zalaegerszeg, building of the County Council of the Trade Union); Standing man (aluminum-casting, 1962, Bp., XII. district, 1, Pihenő Street, National Korányi Tuberculosis Institute); Cry (aluminum-casting, 1965, Kazincbarcika, Építők útja); Standing peasant (limestone, 1965, Salgótarján, Construction industry workers’ hostel); Boy with a fish (aluminum casting, 1966, Velence, Restaurant Lidó); Standing woman (limestone, 1967, Kecskemét); Reading woman (limestone, 1967, Dalmand, State farm); Bust of Móricz (limestone, 1968, Sárospatak, statue park); Standing boy (limestone, 1968, Bp. XX. district, Nyír Street Elementary School.); Daydreamer (limestone, 1971, Bp. X. district, 89–91, Maglódi Street, Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Hospital); Musician (bronze, 1972, Miskolc, Tuberculosis Institute); Bust of Kálmán Mikszáth (limestone, 1972, Pásztó, Mikszáth Secondary School.); Thorn-plucker (limestone, 1972, Vésztő, Szabó P. Grammar School); Bust of Ady (limestone, 1974, Csenger, grammar school); Mother with her child (limestone, 1974, Magyarnándor); Móricz-relief (limestone, 1976, Sárospatak, Arany J. Street 5–7., elementary school); Széchenyi-relief (limestone, 1977, Sárospatak, Water-gate); Bust of Pál Szabó (limestone, 1978, Vésztő, Szabó P. Grammar School); Standing boy (limestone, 1978, Cegléd, Dózsa Gy. Hostel); Memorial plaque for Móricz (limestone, 1979, Sárospatak, Dobó Street 6.); Boy on a horse (bronze, 1981, Sárospatak, 14, Kádár Street.); Mother with a baby (limestone, 1984, Sárospatak, Health House); Bust of László Jakoby (bronze, 1984, Bp., Foundry M.); Bust of Ferenc Tércsey (bronze, 1984, Bp., Foundry M.); Henrik Fazola portrait (bronze, 1985, Bp., Foundry M.); Bust of Tivadar Rombauer (bronze, 1985, Bp., Foundry M.); Bust of Mihály Tompa (bronze, 1988, Kelemér, Culture House); Soli deo Gloria Student association statue (stone, 1991, Siófok); Bust of István Sinka (bronze, 1992, Vésztő, Historic Memorial Place); Árpád Együd -relief (bronze, 1992, Siófok, Kálmán I. M.); dr. Ferenc Zákonyi -relief (bronze, marble, 1994, Siófok, building of Siótour); Lajos Vass -relief (stone, bronze, 1994, Bp. VIII. district, 12, Kőfaragó Street, Vasas Művészegyüttes Clubhouse).

Further reading: L. Szabó: Sculptor ~, Bp., 1996 (with recommended reading); O. Mezei: „From the brook to the ocean”. On the sculpture of ~, Kortárs, 1997/4.(Ladányi, József)