Zsuzsa Szikra

Zsuzsa Szikra(Born 6 February 1951 in Marcali) is a Hungarian painter whose works are marked by their poetic abstract character. She is also well known for her portraits. Zsuzsa Szikra is a member of the Association of Hungarian Creative Artists, in Hungarian Magyar Alkotóművészek Országos Egyesülete – MAOE.^[1]

Artist life

Zsuzsa Szikra was born in 1951 in the Szechenyi castle^[2] which served as a hospital and which was situated in the town of Marcali in Hungary. Already at an early age Zsuzsa was influenced by the paintings and other forms of art her father made. The talents of her father, Janos Szikra,^[3][4] reached from making portraits to landscape painting, and to making stage decors for theatre productions. During her childhood Zsuzsa spend her summer holidays with her grandmother on the shores of Lake Balaton in Hungary. Ilona Takats was a talented poet and architect and had extensive contacts with the Hungarian writers of her time.^[5][6] Through this grandmother Zsuzsa met Gyula Illyes the famous Hungarian writer. His books and the personal talks she had with Gyula Illyes influenced her later works of art. Zsuzsa and her grandmother made long boat trips on the lake Balaton which made a lasting impression on Zsuzsa and are reflected in her art.^[7] Following her creative instincts Zsuzsa went to a special art high school in Pécs, the Pécsi Művészeti Gimnázium és Szakközépiskola,^[8] where she learned to work with gobelins. At this high school she came in contact with the works of Victor Servranckx, whose style was influenced by cubism and constructivism. After high school she got an entry to Hungarian University of Fine Arts, Magyar Képzőművészeti Egyetem^[9] in Hungarian, in Budapest. Here she studied under Simon Sarkantyu^[10] and the famous Jeno Barcsay who made the “Anatomy For Artists”,^[11] which has been translated into over fifty languages. Zsuzsa Szikra studied together with Tamás Vilmos Kovács,^[12] Mária Mihályfi,^[13][14] Janos Kalmar^[15] and Zsuzsa Lics.^[16]

Poetic abstract art

Like Viktor Vasarely, a Hungarian French painter, Zsuzsa Szikra was schooled at a Pécs high school and later at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts, Magyar Képzőművészeti Egyetem^[9] in Hungarian. Both painters have abstract geometrical works being the art of Szikra Zsuzsa more poetical.^[7]

Exhibitions

• 1977 Berlin
• 1978 Salgotarjan,Tavaszi Tárlat, Hungary^[17]
• 1979 Budapest, Mücsarnok Studio 79^[18] and Pecs, Pécsi Galéria, Pécsi Művészetiből indultak, Hungary
• 1980 Szentendre, Vajda Lajos Studio, Hungary^[19]
• 1981 Szekszárd, Babits Mihály competition, Babits-pályázat, Szekszárd, Hungary^[20]
• 1982 Gyor, Madach competition, Madách-pályázat, Győr,^[21] Hungary
• 1984 Veszprém, Hungary
• 1985 Budapest, Lila Iskola, Hungary^[22]
• 1985 Nagykanizsa, Egry Jozsef terem, Hungary^[23]
• 1986 Hulst, Galerie van Geyt, The Netherlands
• 1987 Marcali, Bernath Muzeum, Hungary^[24]
• 1988 Budapest Duna Galeria, Hungary^[25]
• 1996 Sint Niklaas, Internationale Exlibris competition, Nemzetközi Exlibris pályázat, Belgium^[26]
• 1997 Fonyod, Toparti Nyari Galeria,^[27] Hungary, Pecs,Pécsi Galéria, Hungary^[28]
• 2002 Hulst museum de vier ambachten, The Netherlands^[29]
• 2007 Internet exhibition; Venice Carnaval^[30]
• 2010 Planned: Danube Palace, Budapest Spring Festival,March 2010, Budapest, Hungary^[31]
• 2010 Planned: Saarbruecken, Germany, Autumn 2010

Study trips

• Art trip to Greece, 1982
• Art trip to Paris (Louvre and Centre Georges Pompidou) and Rome (Vatican Museums, Rafaello, Michelangelo) And Florence (Uffizi museum), Venice (Guggenheim Museum Venice, Georgione’s La Tempesta), 1977
• Art trip to St. Petersburg Hermitage^[32] and Moscow (Pushkin Museum), 1976
• Art trip to Madrid (Prado) 1980
• Art trips to London (Tate Gallery, British Museum) 1986–2000

Illustrated Books

• Timmermans, Peter & Szikra Zsuzsa: Een leven aan de Antwerpse haven : Beer Struyf / PeterTimmermans ; with drawings from Zsuzsa Szikra. Ljubljana : His Story, 1996. ISBN 978-963-200-548-5
• Sponselee, George & Zsuzsa Szikra: Zou 't beter zijn, 't zou niet deugen. With drawings from Zsuzsa Szikra 1989.
• Sponselee, George & Zsuzsa Szikra: Katrien, een verhaal uit het Zeeuws-Vlaamse land . Hulst, 1997 with drawings from Zsuzsa Szikra
• Sponselee George & Szikra Zsuzsa: Frida, Een verhaal uit het Zeeuws-Vlaamse land. With drawings from Zsuzsa Szikra. 1992
• Zsuzsa Szikra: Poetic Mind, A Journey Through Colors. 45 poetic abstract paintings by Zsuzsa Szikra/ text Philip Sparks. Liszt Press, 2010. ISBN 978-961-223-826-1

Bibliography

• Kortárs magyar művészeti lexikon I–III. szerk. Fitz Péter, Enciklopédia Kiadó, 1999–2001. Volume III. Page 574, ISBN 963-8477-43-1^[33]
• Muvész életrajzok, 1985, Pogány Gábor, Szíj Rezso, Tasnádi Attila; szerkesztette, B. Varga Sándor. Page, 263 ISBN 963-02-4037-8
• Gyorgy Seregelyi; Magyar festok es grafikusok adattara: Eletrajzi lexikon az 1800–1988 kozott alkoto festo- es grafikusmuveszekrol. 1988 ISBN 978-963-500-817-9
• Feliers, W. EN R. Van Daele (Red.) Reynaert de Vos in prent en exlibris. Catalogus van de Internationale Exlibriswedstrijd Reynaert de Vos 1996. Sint-Niklaas, V.Z.W. Tiecelijn-Reynaert, 1996.^[26]
• Csepregi Klára; Holland (flamand, fríz, németalföldi, Afrikaans) – magyar bibliográfia – Hollandián kívül és Magyarországon megjelent írások ; Budapest, Országos Széchényi Könyvtár 2008. március 1. Page 180^[34][35]
• A Pécsi Művészetiből indultak, Catalogue 1979. 27 April – Mai 22. Pécsi Galéria, Szinház tér 1. Pinczehelyi Sándor, Photos Nádor Katalin

References

External links

• http://www.kieselbach.hu/s-6342
• http://www.tankonyvtar.hu/konyvek/kortars-magyar-muveszeti/kortars-magyar-muveszeti-081028-2479
• http://artportal.hu/lexikon/muveszek/szikra_zsuzsanna
• http://the-artists.org/portfolio/Zsuzsa-Szikra
• http://www.artistportfolio.net/index.php?secret=141&artist_id=11716
• http://www.artbank.com/artists.aspx?letter=S
• http://orlikon.hu/festo2.htm
• http://www.kunstbus.nl/kunst/zsuzsa+szikra.html