László Szlávics Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
László Szlávics Jr.
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Szlávics Jr. in 2010
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Hungarian: Szlávics László
August 11, 1959 Budapest, Hungary
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| Nationality | Hungarian |
| Known for | Sculpture, Medallic art, Coin, Kinetic art, Interactive art, Mobile |
László Szlávics (born August 11, 1959) is a talented Hungarian artist. He is famous for creating sculptures and special art medals. He often uses the name Laszlo Szlavics Jr. for his works.
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About László Szlávics
László Szlávics Jr. was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1959. He started learning about art at the Arts & Crafts Secondary School in Budapest from 1973 to 1977. After school, his father, who was also a sculptor and goldsmith named László Szlávics, helped him learn even more. Another sculptor, Agamemnon Makris, also guided him.
Since 1973, László Szlávics Jr. has lived and worked in a special place in Budapest called the Százados artist' colony. This is a community where many artists live and create their work. Since 1995, he has often designed special memorial coins for the Hungarian National Bank.
His Artistic Creations
László Szlávics Jr. is best known for making medals. These are not just ordinary medals; they are often like tiny sculptures. He combines traditional medal-making skills with new, artistic ideas.
In the 1970s, his sculptures, reliefs (art that sticks out from a flat surface), and medals looked very realistic and were made with great care. In the 1980s, he became known for medals that he engraved by hand into steel. This technique was similar to how ancient coins were made. Some of his famous works from this time include Birds, Africa, and medals of important Hungarian figures like Count István Széchenyi.
He also created bronze sculptures that showed the influence of Cubism, an art style that uses geometric shapes. In the early 1990s, he made a series of 20 medals inspired by the famous painter Vincent van Gogh.
Later in the 1990s, he started using natural materials like bones, feathers, and seashells in his art. These unique pieces were called Cultic proto-money and pushed the boundaries of what a medal could be. At the same time, he also made "mechanical medals" that had moving parts, showing how time passes. People could even interact with these medals to make them move!
Since the early 2000s, he has continued to explore new ways to make medal art. He often uses "found objects" – everyday items that he gives a new purpose in his art. Some of these interactive sculptures include In memoriam Man Ray, An hour with Salvador Dalí, and Hotline. These artworks invite people to touch and activate them.
Since 2008, László Szlávics Jr. has created many small wooden sculptures. Some of these look like miniature houses or old ruins. He also makes large clock sculptures that are both artistic and functional. These clocks often have traditional parts like pendulums and springs, and they even chime every hour and half-hour.
Awards and Recognitions
László Szlávics Jr. has received many important awards for his art:
- 1993: Golden Diploma at the National Portrait Biennale in Budapest.
- 1996: Encouragement Prize at the 9th Cloisonne Jewelry Contest in Tokyo, Japan.
- 1996: Grand Prix at the "Head or Tails" Art medal exhibition in Budapest.
- 2006: The first Erika Ligeti Prize from Hungarian Medalists.
- 2007: The Béni Ferenczy Prize, which is the main award at the 16th National Biennial of Medal Art.
- 2007: An "Honorable Mention" at the Art Medal World Congress FIDEM XXX in Colorado Springs, USA.
- 2015: He won the Béni Ferenczy Prize again at the 20th National Biennial of Medal Art.
Exhibitions
László Szlávics Jr.'s works have been shown in many exhibitions around the world since 1975. He has had over 50 solo shows and participated in many group exhibitions in 15 different countries.
Group Shows
Some of the important group exhibitions include:
- The National Biennial of Small Plastic in Pécs, Hungary (several times).
- Every National Biennial of Medal Art in Sopron, Hungary since 1983.
- The National Wood Sculpture Exhibition in Nagyatád, Hungary (several times).
- F.I.D.E.M. Medal Exhibitions in cities like Budapest, Paris, and Colorado Springs.
- Email International 3 in Coburg, Germany (1995).
- Helyzetkép/Hungarian sculpture at the Kunsthalle Budapest (1995).
- Craft & Design at the Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest (2008-2009).
One-Man Shows
Some of his important solo exhibitions include:
- Galerie Simon in Altenahr, Germany (1991).
- Collegium Hungaricum in Wien, Austria (2002).
- Gallery Árkád in Budapest, Hungary (2006).
- "Fifty" at Gallery Keve in Ráckeve, Hungary (2009).
- "Síkplasztikáim" at Symbol Art Gallery in Budapest, Hungary (2012).
- "Za hranicami medailérstva..." at NBS Múzeum Mincí a Medalí, Kremnica, Slovakia (2015).
Public Artworks
László Szlávics Jr.'s sculptures and busts can be seen in many public places and buildings:
- 1979: Comedy Theatre of Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
- 1988: János Damjanich bust, Szeged, Hungary
- 1989: Miklós Zrínyi bust, Székesfehérvár, Hungary
- 1990: Artúr Görgey bust, Ministry of National Defence, Budapest, Hungary
- 1992: Saint Florian relief, Budapest, Hungary
- 2006: János Tornyai bust, Hódmezővásárhely, Hungary
- 2006: Frigyes Karinthy portrait, Karinthy Teatre, Budapest, Hungary
- 2007: Count István Széchenyi bust, Seafaring Secondary School, Budapest, Hungary
- 2009: Ferenc Liszt bust, Sopron Music School, Sopron, Hungary
- 2010: John Lennon bust, Sopron Music School, Sopron, Hungary
- 2012: Ferenc Liszt bust, Universiti of West Hungary Savaria Campus, Szombathely, Hungary
- 2012: István Örkény portrait, Zsigmond Móricz City Library, Tata, Hungary
- 2013: Janis Joplin bust, Ferenc Erkel Grade School, Budapest, Hungary
Medals and Small Sculptures
László Szlávics Jr. has created many special medals and small sculptures, often for important events or as awards:
- 1992: Ferenc Flór Prize, János Hunyadi Prize, and Miklós Zrínyi Prize for the Ministry of National Defence.
- 1996: Nemzeti Minőségi Díj (National Quality Award) small sculpture for Hungary's prime minister.
- 1998: For the Children of the World, a 2000-forint silver memorial coin for UNICEF and the Hungarian National Bank.
- 2001: A series of 200-forint memorial coins for the Hungarian National Bank, featuring characters from famous Hungarian children's books like Ferenc Molnár: A Pál utcai fiúk, Mihály Fazekas: Lúdas Matyi, Sándor Petőfi: János Vitéz, and János Arany: Toldi.
- 2004: Pécsi ókeresztény sírkamrák, a 5000-forint silver memorial coin for the Hungarian National Bank.
- 2007: 550 anniversary of accession of King Mathias Corvinus, a 50,000-forint gold memorial coin for the Hungarian National Bank.
- 2009: 200th Anniversary of birth of Ferenc Erkel, a 5000-forint memorial coin.
- 2010: 200th Anniversary of birth of Adam Clark, a 5000-forint memorial coin.
Collections
László Szlávics Jr.'s artworks are part of many important collections, including:
- Lajos Kassák Memorial Museum, Budapest, Hungary
- Military History Museum, Budapest, Hungary
- Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest, Hungary
- Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
- Hungarian National Museum, Budapest, Hungary
- Van Gogh Dokumentátiecentrum, Nuenen, Netherlands
- Rijksmuseum Het Koninklijk Penningkabinet, Leiden, Netherland
- Centro Dantesco, Ravenna, Italia
- British Museum, London, United Kingdom
- University Museum of Bergen, Norway
- Muzeum Sztuki Medalierskiej, Wrocław, Poland
- NBS – Múzeum mincí a medailí Kremnica, Slovakia
Gallery
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László Szlávics Jr.: F. Schiller, bronze, cast, 140 x 185 mm, 1991
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László Szlávics Jr.: On the road, 2005, wood, iron, textile, mixed technique,
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László Szlávics Jr.: Masaccio, memorial medal, 2002, bronze, cast, 110mm
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László Szlávics Jr.: John Lennon bust, 2010, Sopron, Hungary
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László Szlávics Jr.: Mátyás Hunyadi, memorial coin, (Hungarian forint) 2008,
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László Szlávics Jr.: John Calvin, memorial medal, 2008, bronze, cast, 110mm
