Ernő Tolvaly, an enigmatic figure of Hungarian art life, is primarily known for his artistic activity involving painting. In spite of his quiet personality, he exerted an influence on his colleagues as an artist, an organizer and a teacher, from the 1970s until his death in 2008. He attended the Hungarian University of Fine Arts between 1972 and 1976, his master was Simon Sarkantyu. Already during his study years he was a member of the Rózsa-kör, later on also active participant of other Hungarian artist groups, e.g. the Mini Gallery and the Rabinec group.
Beside painting, Tolvaly’s artistic activity encompassed action, photography, installation and object art, too. The common intellectual base of all these various art forms was his continuous interest in issues of image-making, vision, colour, reflection and perception. This wide variety of genres reflects not only Tolvaly’s curious, inquiring mind, but also his sense of humour. In his late years, crossing over styles and periods, he repainted with virtuoso technique works by great predecessors (for example Cézanne, Monet), adapting their image-making methods and projecting himself into their image-making activity.
Language: Hungarian, English
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Miraculous system – Ernő Tolvaly retrospective exhibition 19. September, 2014 – 30. November
Ernő Tolvaly, an enigmatic figure of Hungarian art life, is primarily known for his artistic activity involving painting. In spite of his quiet personality, he exerted an influence on his colleagues as an artist, an organizer and a teacher, from the 1970s until his death in 2008.