Vera Szekely

Slovak Republic  • 1919

Presentation

Vera Székely was born Harsányi in 1919 Piešťany, Slovakia, former Czechoslovakia. In the Bauhaus spirit she excels in many media and arts. Sculptor, Urbanist, interior architect, she creates liturgical art objects for churches or volumes for urban sites. Painter and graphist, ceramist, stained glasses and mosaic artist she creates also monumental installations for museums. Circa 13 years old, she studies Gitta in Hanna Dallos Studio in Decorative Art School of Budapest, Hungary. This professor with a very deep erudition will remain her artistic and spiritual guide for ever. Vera is introduced to Hanna by Gitta Mallasz, 1923 Arts Déco student and famous swimming champ. Vera is also a swimming champ and is selected for the 1936 Munich Olympic Games. 

In 1940, Vera studies in Paris in Paul Colin School, famous graphist. But with the sudden death of her father, engineer and inventor, she is obliged to leave France and in Budapest she studies in a private art school, "L'Atelier". 

In 1943 Hanna Dallos who is lodging Vera in Budapest shows her the first pages of her "Talking with angels", 88 talkings from June 1943 until November 1944, events witnessed by Lili Strausz, Joseph Kreutzer, Jewish artists and Gitta Mallasz, Catholic, alone to survive. Political refugee in France she publishes in the 70's this cult book. 

In April 1945 Hungary is invaded by Soviets and Vera flees to Austria where she marries a student met in "L'atelier". In 1947, political refugee in France, Paul Colin, art school founder lodges her and welcomes her husband as well, soon a third person Hungarian civil servant joins the couple and they become an artistic trio : SZB, and the birth name of Vera, Harsányi, disappears forever. 1947 Exposition France Hongrie Galerie de Bussy, Paris, Comité Braque, Matisse, Villon. 1950 Galerie Maxime Old 1952 à 1956 Galerie MAI, Paris. 1954 Médaille d'or à la Triennale de Milan. 1956 She has a son Martin 1957 End SZB 1970 Her son is 24. Vera Divorces. 

Free, her art, deep, earthly and strong, tending to the air and the skies can burst. 

Many National and International Solo Shows, a few are : 1969 1979 1969 Maison de la Culture Orléans 1979 Maison de la Culture Amiens Maison de la Culture Rennes Solo Shows with Monumental Installations : 1978 Textile monumental suspended sculptures Musée Saint Brieux 1981 Xe Biennale Lausanne, Suisse, Bordeaux Festival d'Architecture, Nice. 1982 Musée Beaubourg Pompidou Paris, Fondation Claude Nicolas Ledoux, Saint Brieuc Museum Konsthall, Lund, Suède 1983 Musée Kulturhuset, Stockolm, Suède 1984 Palais de la Culture du Mans 1985 Museum Arts Décoratifs, Paris. 1985-1986 6 months Solo Show Museum of Modern Art Paris Catalogue Texts Danielle Molinari, General Curator Patrimony Art historian Bernadette Contensou, General Inspector Museums

Regarding her series of "Wood Boxes" and "Wood Altars" exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art in Paris in 1985, if the Ukrainian Nevelson and the Czechoslovakian Vera will both create Wood Boxes, they will never meet or get influenced by one another. Their only common link is their escape to the West, although in different historical times, and Vera will never repeat herself and will keep innovating and searching in many different fine art paths. The escape of Vera to France instead of the United States and her husband will be both strong and definite obstacles to her career and fame, although she was and created the light taught by Hanna.


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All artworks of Vera Szekely
Sculpture, 1968 Boite autel  Box Altar, Vera Szekely

1968 Boite autel Box Altar

Vera Szekely

Sculpture - 18.1 x 9.8 x 2.8 inch

$10,728

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Who is the artist?

Vera Székely was born Harsányi in 1919 Piešťany, Slovakia, former Czechoslovakia. In the Bauhaus spirit she excels in many media and arts. Sculptor, Urbanist, interior architect, she creates liturgical art objects for churches or volumes for urban sites. Painter and graphist, ceramist, stained glasses and mosaic artist she creates also monumental installations for museums. Circa 13 years old, she studies Gitta in Hanna Dallos Studio in Decorative Art School of Budapest, Hungary. This professor with a very deep erudition will remain her artistic and spiritual guide for ever. Vera is introduced to Hanna by Gitta Mallasz, 1923 Arts Déco student and famous swimming champ. Vera is also a swimming champ and is selected for the 1936 Munich Olympic Games. 

In 1940, Vera studies in Paris in Paul Colin School, famous graphist. But with the sudden death of her father, engineer and inventor, she is obliged to leave France and in Budapest she studies in a private art school, "L'Atelier". 

In 1943 Hanna Dallos who is lodging Vera in Budapest shows her the first pages of her "Talking with angels", 88 talkings from June 1943 until November 1944, events witnessed by Lili Strausz, Joseph Kreutzer, Jewish artists and Gitta Mallasz, Catholic, alone to survive. Political refugee in France she publishes in the 70's this cult book. 

In April 1945 Hungary is invaded by Soviets and Vera flees to Austria where she marries a student met in "L'atelier". In 1947, political refugee in France, Paul Colin, art school founder lodges her and welcomes her husband as well, soon a third person Hungarian civil servant joins the couple and they become an artistic trio : SZB, and the birth name of Vera, Harsányi, disappears forever. 1947 Exposition France Hongrie Galerie de Bussy, Paris, Comité Braque, Matisse, Villon. 1950 Galerie Maxime Old 1952 à 1956 Galerie MAI, Paris. 1954 Médaille d'or à la Triennale de Milan. 1956 She has a son Martin 1957 End SZB 1970 Her son is 24. Vera Divorces. 

Free, her art, deep, earthly and strong, tending to the air and the skies can burst. 

Many National and International Solo Shows, a few are : 1969 1979 1969 Maison de la Culture Orléans 1979 Maison de la Culture Amiens Maison de la Culture Rennes Solo Shows with Monumental Installations : 1978 Textile monumental suspended sculptures Musée Saint Brieux 1981 Xe Biennale Lausanne, Suisse, Bordeaux Festival d'Architecture, Nice. 1982 Musée Beaubourg Pompidou Paris, Fondation Claude Nicolas Ledoux, Saint Brieuc Museum Konsthall, Lund, Suède 1983 Musée Kulturhuset, Stockolm, Suède 1984 Palais de la Culture du Mans 1985 Museum Arts Décoratifs, Paris. 1985-1986 6 months Solo Show Museum of Modern Art Paris Catalogue Texts Danielle Molinari, General Curator Patrimony Art historian Bernadette Contensou, General Inspector Museums

Regarding her series of "Wood Boxes" and "Wood Altars" exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art in Paris in 1985, if the Ukrainian Nevelson and the Czechoslovakian Vera will both create Wood Boxes, they will never meet or get influenced by one another. Their only common link is their escape to the West, although in different historical times, and Vera will never repeat herself and will keep innovating and searching in many different fine art paths. The escape of Vera to France instead of the United States and her husband will be both strong and definite obstacles to her career and fame, although she was and created the light taught by Hanna.

What are their 3 main works?

When was Vera Szekely born?

The year of birth of the artist is: 1919