PÁL KEPENYES (KONDOROS 1926 – ACAPULCO 2021), a Kossuth Prize-winning sculptor and metal artist, is known and recognized worldwide for his exceptionally prolific career. In Budapest, he first studied at the College of Applied Arts, then at the College of Fine Arts, where Béni Ferenczy was his teacher. He was expelled as a “class alien,” and in 1950, based on fabricated charges—for concealing weapons—he was sentenced to ten years in prison. He was released in 1956, took part in the revolution, and then left the country on November 21.
As a recipient of a French government scholarship, he continued his studies at the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, while traveling throughout Europe in search of inspiration and Hungarian communities.
In the 1960s, he settled in Mexico. His works include both jewelry that functions as independent sculptures and monumental public sculptures. The first thing visitors arriving at the Acapulco airport see is his public sculpture titled The People of the Sun, which stands approximately 15 meters tall.
His works are imbued with both Hungarian and Mexican motifs. He created in an expressionist and surrealist style; his kinetic sculptures made of metal are particularly noteworthy. His jewelry was highly popular; it was purchased by world-famous stars and prominent figures (Liz Taylor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bill Gates, Richard Nixon, Madonna, Onassis, Jacqueline Kennedy).
He exhibited his work in some of the world’s most prestigious galleries, in London and Berlin, and later at the Mexican pavilion at the World’s Fair in New York. Referred to as the “Picasso of sculpture” and having contributed to the creation of numerous Hollywood films, Pál Kepenyes was among the first to receive Mexico’s Order of Merit, and Hungary recognized his work with the Kossuth Prize.
He also worked as an architect. He designed his own ocean-view apartment in Acapulco.
His life could be seen as emblematic of the fate of a 20th-century artist. He experienced both the struggles amid tragedy and artistic triumph. Even while living far from his homeland, he never ceased to be Hungarian.
His public sculptures in Hungary:
A two-figure stone sculpture carved in memory of the victims of the mining accident in the Csolnok mine can be seen in the Csolnok cemetery, while his memorial to the Hungarian war dead of the Don Bend stands in the Szarvas cemetery. His bronze sculpture titled Self-Portrait, standing on a marble pedestal, was erected in front of the Kondoros town hall in 2018.
According to Pál Kepenyes, the most important thing is to find ourselves, even as we are at the mercy of history.
