Júlia Báthory facts for kids

Júlia Báthory (born December 31, 1901 – died May 3, 2000) was a talented Hungarian glass designer. She became famous for her unique way of working with glass.

Júlia Báthory was born in 1901 in Budapest, Hungary. She came from an old, important family. She went to high school in Debrecen and Budapest. In 1924, she moved to Germany. There, she studied at the Stadtschule für Angewendte Kunst in Munich. One of her teachers was Adelbert Niemeyer, a painter. He was also related to the famous Brazilian architect, Oscar Niemeyer. Júlia Báthory became good friends with Margit Kovács, another Hungarian artist, during her studies.

While studying graphic design, Júlia became very interested in glasswork. In 1929, she started her own business as a glass designer in Dessau. The famous Bauhaus School was also in Dessau at this time. Its modern ideas influenced Júlia's work. She returned to Budapest for a short time in 1930. In 1930, she had a successful art show in Paris with sculptor Imre Huszár. Because of this success, she decided to move to Paris. She lived there until 1939.

Life and Art in Paris (1930-1940)

Júlia Báthory spent ten very busy years in Paris. During this time, she traveled a lot. She visited old Roman period sites in France. She also went to Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and Belgium. In Paris, she lived among other Hungarian artists like Endre Rozsda, Brassaï, and André Kertész. For a while, she even shared an apartment with Andre Kertész and Margit Kovács.

After her first show in 1930, she had her own art show in 1933. She won a special award at the 1937 Paris World's Fair. That same year, she designed a special column for the Printemps department store. Júlia Báthory was part of the Salon d'Automne, an art group started by artists like Henri Matisse. Famous French glass designers, such as Maurice Marinot and René Lalique, also showed their work there.

Júlia created new and exciting flat glass designs for "La Crémmaiere." She also made decorative panels for Louis Cartier's jewelry store on Rue de la Paix. Her art was sold by Christofle in Paris. In 1934, she turned an old building near the Sorbonne university into her own workshop, which she called Studio La Girouette.

Júlia Báthory made her own designs in small batches. She got her flat glass from Belgium. She also designed and made furniture. She was very successful with her large glass panels that showed figures. Her small decorative panels, called plaquettes, which had abstract animals, were also popular. In 1937, the city of Paris bought her plaquette called The Hunting (La Chasse) and an engraved vase. These artworks later became part of the modern art collection at the Louvre museum.

Júlia Báthory was best known for working with "cold glass." This meant she shaped the glass after it had cooled down. She made large, sculptural forms based on drawings. Other artists like Lalique and Marinot usually worked with hot glass, treating it as one solid block.

Her special way of working involved unique methods. She used intaglio engraving (carving into the glass), cutting, and the sand-blasting technique. By combining these, she created amazing visual effects. French art critics called her works "reliefs du verre," meaning "glass reliefs."

In 1938, she visited Hungary to show her art and won a Silver Medal. The city of Paris also invited her to exhibit her work that year. The next year, she had great success overseas. She returned from the 1939 New York World's Fair with another special award.

Returning to Hungary (1940)

Júlia Báthory stayed in Paris until 1939. But in January 1940, she moved back to Budapest to save her studio. She kept working until 1944, when World War II reached Hungary. During this time, she received many awards. These included a gold medal at the Milano Trienale in 1940, and awards from the Ministry of Culture in 1942 and 1943. She also won a silver medal from the National Organisation of the Applied Artists of Hungary and a gold medal from Budapest.

During this period, Báthory worked with interior designer Elek Falus. She made engraved glass panels for the Goldberger Textil Company's exhibition hall in Zürich. Many of her pieces from this time were for churches. She had also created religious art earlier for an exhibition in Strasbourg in 1937. One of her engraved triptychs (a three-part artwork) received a lot of attention.

During World War II, Júlia Báthory's studio was almost completely destroyed. After the war, she faced many thefts. Many important documents, machines, and artworks were lost forever. Her return to Hungary, which she thought would be temporary, became permanent. Even with these difficulties, Júlia Báthory continued her work with passion.

In 1949, she wanted to create a new way to teach glass design at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design. However, her plan could not happen then. Years later, in 1953, she finally got the chance to start her teaching system at the Secondary School of Fine and Applied Arts.

Júlia Báthory, the Teacher (1953-1970)

The glass design program Júlia Báthory created was very special. She built the entire foundation for teaching glass design in Hungary. Her system was similar to the Kodály-method used for music. Students learned how to work with hot glass, use drawing techniques, and explore all kinds of glasswork. This method greatly changed how glass art was taught. It also changed the way art was taught in secondary schools across Hungary. For her hard work, she received the Munkácsy prize and the title of Excellent Teacher.

At this time, Júlia Báthory became very interested in the possibilities of hot glass. In 1958, she showed her work at the Brussels World's Fair. This was her last big international show. She received another special award from Brussels. She was honored again for her work in 1967 and 1968. Júlia Báthory stopped teaching in 1970. But she kept working in her studio and started to organize all the artworks she had created during her life.

Later Years and Legacy (1990-2000)

Júlia Báthory's art became popular again in 1989. This was when Hungary's political and economic system changed. The 88-year-old artist set up her studio once more. Her adopted son, András Szilágyi, and his wife, Júlia Kovács, helped her. Báthory decided to remake pieces from her collection that had been lost or destroyed. Her studio still makes these works and continues her designs today.

In 1991, she received a high honor from the Hungarian Republic. She also became a full member of the Széchenyi István Academy of Literature and Art. Her life's work was shown in a big exhibition at the Hungarian Museum of Applied Arts in 1992. She also received the Hungarian Heritage Award, but she was too old to accept it in person. Júlia Báthory passed away in Pécsvárad at the age of 98.

Since her death, her stepson, András Szilágyi, and his wife, Júlia Kovács, run a permanent museum. They also continue to operate Báthory's studio, La Girouette. Since September 2000, the Júlia Báthory glass collection has been open to the public in Dömsöd.