Géza SAMU
Dovetailed gravepost
1974
pear-, oak- and beech wood
from the collection of dr Péter Antal
Photo: SULYOK Miklós
SAMU Géza
1947, Kocsola – 1990, Békésszentandrás, sculptor
He was a self-taught artist, who successfully reinvented the decaying relics of popular material culture and the everyday tools and objects of peasant life in his sculptures. He weaved elements of folk tales and ballads into his idols and works reminiscent of puppet characters. He used wood as his primary raw material but he also worked with iron, stone and bone, and even used plant seeds, bird feathers and later bronze and alabaster for his art. He began making installations, environments and assemblages for open-air spaces and exhibition interiors in 1976. His most signifcant exhibition in Hungary was mounted in the Kunsthalle Budapest in 1983. His works were included in the Venice Biennale of 1988. He was awarded the Munkácsy Award in 1990. His permanent exhibition can be seen in the Géza Samu Museum in Pécsvárad.
