István Szőnyi

István Szőnyi (1894–1960) was a Hungarian painter and printmaker and one of the most gifted members of the Nagybánya group. His works, such as The Bend of the Danube and Zebegény, link him to the Danube landscape and to the Hungarian art of the interwar years. He is also remembered for rescuing Jews during the Holocaust with his family, which led to their recognition as Righteous Among the Nations in 1984.

He began his studies at the independent school of the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts in 1911, and in 1914 became the pupil of Károly Ferenczy, both at Nagybánya and at the Academy. While on leave from military service, he spent the summers of 1917 and 1918 at Nagybánya. After his discharge he returned to the Academy as a pupil of István Réti. His first one-man show, at the Ernst Museum, came in 1921. Trips to Vienna and Berlin exposed him to the great classical masters. His involvement in political causes led to his expulsion from the Academy in 1920.

As a leading member of the so-called etching generation, he helped develop Hungarian graphic art in the early 1920s. He moved to Zebegény in 1924, took part in the first exhibition of the newly formed KUT, and taught at the Independent School of the City Centre. In 1928 he received the state grant to Rome. In 1937 he was appointed professor at the Academy, a post he held for more than two decades, although he received few monumental commissions. He also published a treatise on drawing and painting techniques.

In his final years his health was poor, and he spent almost all his time in Zebegény. The István Szőnyi Memorial Museum, opened there in 1967, preserves his home and studio.