Klára Lenz

Klára Lenz
Born (1924-06-30)30 June 1924
Budapest, Hungary
Died 16 February 2013(2013-02-16) (aged 88)
Madrid, Spain
Nationality Hungarian
Known for Gobelin tapestry

Klára Mária Hermina Lenz (born June 30, 1924 in Budapest – Madrid, February 16, 2013) was a Hungarian Gobelin tapestry artist who emigrated to Venezuela during World War II, and in 1950 she moved to Colombia. She was the wife of the Hungarian nobleman Endre Farkas de Boldogfa (1908-1994), Major of the General Staff of the Hungarian Armies during World War II.[1]

Biography

József Lenz and his wife Klára Topits, Klára's parents.

She was born in a wealthy Roman Catholic family in Budapest, in the former Kingdom of Hungary. Her ancestors can be traced back to the ancient Lenz family, which was member of the Swiss Bourgeoisie of Lenzburg. A branch of that family moved to Hungary and lived for several centuries in Pressburg.[2] Klara (Clara) Lenz was born on June 30, 1924 in Budapest. Her father was József Lenz (1897-1965),[1] a wealthy Hungarian landowner, tradesman of exotic fruits, Hussar captain of the Royal Hungarian Army,[3] who built and donated in 1943 the first and only Roman Catholic church in the small town of Nyékládháza, in eastern Hungary, were he possessed lands.[4][5] Klára Lenz's mother was Klara Topits (1901-1993), daughter of Alajos József Topits (1855–1926), who owned the First Factory of confection of pastry in the Austrian-Hungarian empire, founded in 1859 by his father József Topits (1824-1876), of Croatian ancestors. Klára's paternal grandparents were the wealthy Catholic Gyula Lenz (1848–1910), tradesman of exotic fruits (who moved from Pressburg to Budapest with his brothers), and Anna Mária Etelka Gömöry (1874–1946), who was of lutheran confession.[6]

Klára Lenz married on 21 of May 1942 to the Hungarian nobleman Endre Farkas de Boldogfa (1908-1994), Major of the General Staff of the Hungarian Armies during the Second World War. Endre Farkas de Boldogfa was the son of dr. István Farkas de Boldogfa (1875-1921), jurist, chief magistrate of the district of Sümeg in the county of Zala, and of the noble Erzsébet Julianna Persay de Perse (1885-1913). Klára gave birth to two children.

After completion of the Second World War, Hungary was invaded by the Soviet armies that fought against Nazi troops after a coup had taken control of the country. Thus, the situation became critical and uncertain, after which József Lenz chose to go with his family to Switzerland. After spending nearly two years in Zurich, the Lenz family moved to Venezuela, where they became naturalized citizens. Klara had started her career working in customer service for United Airlines and at various hotels. She also worked for several decades at the international airport in Bogotá when the family moved to Colombia.

The deep catholic artist met through her husband the Hungarian cardinal József Mindszenty, who traveled to Venezuela in 1975 and briefly to Columbia in the same month. Endre Farkas de Boldogfa, knew Mindszenty since his childhood, as several relatives of him, as for example his uncle vitéz Sándor Farkas de Boldogfa (1880-1946), and also dr. Tibor Farkas de Boldogfa (1883-1940) and József Farkas de Boldogfa (1857-1951) played important social roles in the county of Zala between the two World Wars, were the cardinal was still a parson in Zalaegerszeg. Endre invited Mindszenty to visit Venezuela and arranged also the trip to Columbia, were Klára and her family received the Hungarian Cardinal.[7]

Tapestries

Coat of arms of the Lenz family (embroidered by Klára)

Lenz has created over 100 tapestries while in Bogotá. A museum in Nyékládháza, in Hungary exhibits some of her tapestries as a greater exhibit on the Lenz family.[1]

Klara became very interested in the gods of indigenous cultures of Colombia, Peru, and Mexico, and she reproduced them in many of her works, as well as game animals, mythological animals and birds.

References

References

  1. 1 2 3 László, Alexander (16 October 2012). "The Peach Madonna Beginning (Az Őszibarackos Madonnával kezdődött)". Minalunk. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  2. ↑ Heinrich Kypke, Pastor Emeritus. Lenz Kronika. 1908
  3. ↑ Bene-Szabó: A magyar királyi honvéd huszár tisztikar 1938-45. (Jósa András Múzeum Kiadványai 52. Nyíregyháza
  4. ↑ Nyírvidék - Szabolcsi Hírlap, 1943 (11. évfolyam, 247-296. szám)1943-11-04 / 249. szám
  5. ↑ Kegyes tanítórendi katolikus gimnázium, Nagykanizsa, 1942: Lenz József alapítvány
  6. ↑ "familysearch.org Obituary of Lenz Gyuláné Gömöry Anna (accessed: 2017.April.10)".
  7. ↑ ZML. XIII. 10. Farkas család iratai. 10. doboz 1945 4.pallium 7 darab 2.Lenz József magánlevelei 1946 (9 oldal)
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