Imre Varga facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Imre Varga
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Imre Varga in 2004
|
|
| Born | 1 November 1923 Siófok, Hungary
|
| Died | 9 December 2019 (aged 96) Budapest, Hungary
|
| Known for | Statue of Raoul Wallenberg, Tel Aviv Holocaust memorial, Dohány Street Synagogue, Budapest |
Imre Varga (born November 1, 1923 – died December 9, 2019) was a famous artist from Hungary. He was a sculptor, painter, designer, and graphic artist. Many people thought he was one of Hungary's most important and skilled artists.
Contents
Imre Varga's Life Story
Even when he was a schoolboy, Imre Varga's drawings were shown in small art shows. He later studied how to build and fly airplanes at a military school in Budapest. During World War II, he was an officer in the Hungarian Air Force. He became a prisoner of war for a short time.
After returning to Hungary in 1945, he decided to become an artist. From 1950 to 1956, Varga studied art at the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest. He learned from famous teachers like Sándor Mikus and Pál Pátzay.
After graduating, Varga worked in many different art styles. He made small statues and even designed coins. He also created very large artworks for public places.
Famous Public Sculptures
One of his well-known public statues is the Holocaust Memorial. It is located behind the Dohany Street Synagogue in Budapest. This memorial looks like a weeping willow tree. Each leaf on the tree has the name of a Hungarian victim of the Holocaust.
Another popular artwork by Varga is a group of women with umbrellas. They look a bit worried. This sculpture is in a square in Óbuda, Budapest. You can also find a collection of his works nearby.
Imre Varga's first important work was "Prometheus" in 1965. In the 1970s, he started to create art that was different from the usual style in Communist countries. He made many different kinds of statues. These included statues of famous people like Vladimir Lenin, Francis II Rákóczi, Sir Winston Churchill, and Béla Bartók. He also created art about important events like the Holocaust.
The Raoul Wallenberg Statue
One special statue Varga made was of Raoul Wallenberg. Wallenberg was a Swedish diplomat who saved many Jewish people during World War II. An American Ambassador, Nicolas M. Salgo, who left Hungary before the war, asked Imre Varga to create this statue.
The statue was placed in Budapest on April 9, 1987. It shows Wallenberg walking forward through a gap in a wall. His left hand is in his pocket, and his right hand points ahead. The wall is made from large granite slabs. These slabs were a gift from Wallenberg's family.
A Latin message on the statue says: "When the weather is fine, you have many friends; when skies are cloudy, you will be alone." This message reminds us that true friends stay with you even in hard times. About 300 of Imre Varga's artworks are now shown in nine different countries.
Imre Varga passed away on December 9, 2019. He was 96 years old.
A Look at His Art
-
Statue of Franz Liszt
-
Statue of Gyula Derkovits, Szombathely (1977)
-
Statue of Lőrinc Szabó, Miskolc
-
Statue of Béla Bartók, Makó
-
Statue of Mihály Károlyi, Budapest
-
La Charogne, Siófok
-
Copy of the original Raoul Wallenberg's statue
Wallenberg st., Tel-Aviv, Israel
