Béla Szalmás

1908 - 1961

Biography

Painter, graphic designer. In 1927, he came from Szerencs to Budapest on foot to look for work. He worked as a factory worker, and in his spare time drew the slums of the Mária Valéria settlement. His first significant painting, Kitchen in Valéria-settlement (1930), shows the influence of János Nagy Balogh. In the 1930s, he worked in the set painting workshop of the National Theatre. In 1942, he enrolled in the evening course at the School of Industrial Design. From 1948, he participated in all major exhibitions. From 1949, he was exclusively engaged in artistic work. In 1954, he organized a collection exhibition of his works in the Fényes Adolf Hall. In 1964, his paintings, graphics, and ceramic figurines with subtle humor were presented at the memorial exhibition held at the MNG.

 

In the 1930s, he created tempera paintings with a folk-surreal effect and woodcuts with a simple linear character. His powerful, expressive portraits of workers painted in brownish tones from the 1940s and 1950s form the most remarkable group of his painterly oeuvre. The influence of Lajos Tihanyi's painting can also be observed in some of his portraits. He created a significant series of self-portraits. He also created multi-figure compositions, mostly depicting workers. From the end of the 50s, he also worked with ceramics. Covered with colored glaze, he modeled small animal figures.

Related artworks

Self-portrait (1939)

Béla Szalmás

570,000 HUF