Katalin Rényi

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Rényi in 1999

Katalin Rényi ([ˈreːɲi ˈkɒtɒlin]; 19 May 1951 – 29 August 2023) was a Hungarian painter and graphic designer.

Life and career[edit]

Rényi was born in Budapest on 19 May 1951.[1] Her father was film director Tamás Rényi, whom she described as strict and critical.[2] She was raised by her grandmother, and she attended the Secondary School of Fine and Applied Arts from 1965 to 1969.[3] She graduated from the Hungarian University of Arts and Design (now the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design) in 1975 with a degree in graphic design.[1][4] After graduating, she began a twenty-year career in advertisement design, specializing in movie posters.[5]

Rényi married fellow artist József Baska [hu] in 1976. They had a son, Balázs, in 1978, and a daughter, Barbara, in 1984. Both children went on to become graphic artists and filmmakers.[3] Baska and Rényi were instructors at the Hungarian University of Arts and Design, with Rényi taking a teaching position in 1985.[1][4] She left graphic design when it became primarily digital.[5] She instead painted independently,[5] and she wrote poetry.[2]

Rényi moved with her husband to Szentendre as he wished to be involved with the town's art colony.[2] She was initially there as Baska's wife, but she was eventually invited to join them as an artist in her own right.[5] Rényi held an art exhibition in 1992,[3] and she founded the Montázs Drawing Studio in the same year.[1] She and her husband also founded the annual artist camp, Csopaki Művésztelep [hu].[6] She held an exhibition titled "Giant Watercolours" in 1993, an exhibition titled "Kosovo I.N.R.I." in 1999, and further exhibitions in 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2012. She also held a family exhibition in 2012 with her husband and children titled "The Genetics of Art/Artist Family". She held an exhibition titled "Conjuring Spirits" in 2013.[3]

Rényi was widowed with the death of Baska in 2017.[2] According to her son, Baska's death prompted Rényi to distract herself with her work, producing art at five times her normal rate.[7] In 2018, she held a retrospective exhibition across Europe titled "21 grams", in reference to the idea that the soul weighs 21 grams.[1][4] This exhibition featured works related to religious themes and the meaning of life.[8] For her career in art, she was awarded the Hungarian Order of Merit in 1994 and the Mihály Munkácsy Award in 2019.[1]

Rényi died on 29 August 2023, at age 72.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Nemzet, Magyar (29 August 2023). "Elhunyt Rényi Katalin Munkácsy Mihály-díjas festőművész, tervezőgrafikus" [Katalin Rényi Munkácsy, a Mihály Prize-winning painter and graphic designer, has passed away]. Magyar Nemzet (in Hungarian). Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "Egy tökéletes este kellékei: festmények, versek és egy kis dobszó" [The ingredients for a perfect evening: paintings, poems and a little drumming]. 888.hu (in Hungarian). 26 November 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d "Katalin Rényi". Katalin Rényi (in Hungarian). Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d "Meghalt Rényi Katalin festőművész" [Painter Katalin Rényi has died]. index.hu (in Hungarian). 29 August 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d Csermely, Gábor (28 October 2018). "Ezekben a képekben ott van az a bizonyos fölöttünk való". origo.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  6. ^ "Még lehet jelentkezni a Csopaki Művésztelep nyári táborába". origo.hu (in Hungarian). 4 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  7. ^ Vági, Barbara (13 April 2021). "A szél hozta a Mindenható üzenetét" [The wind brought the Almighty's message]. origo.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  8. ^ "Rényi Katalin 21 gramm című kiállításáról" [About Katalin Rényi's exhibition 21 grams]. Bárka Online (in Hungarian). 16 January 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2023.

External links[edit]