ARTISTVIEW ALL
József Pécsi
Hungarian
1889–1956
About the Artist
Explore life events-
József Pécsi. Self-Portrait. c. 1930. Hungarian Museum of PhotographyJózsef Pécsi was a Hungarian photographer, innovator, and educator. Born in 1889 into a middle-class family in Budapest (then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), Pécsi was schooled in German and maintained lifelong ties with an international photography community. He studied photography at the Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt (Training and research institute) in Munich from 1909 to 1911, and began receiving international recognition soon after graduation. In 1911 he returned to Budapest and opened his own studio, where he also offered instruction to apprentices. In 1913 he established the photography department at the Budapest School of Industrial Drawing, for which he is credited as the founder of photography education in Hungary. He was dismissed from teaching in 1920 due to conflicts with the conservative political regime but maintained his own studio, which served as a gathering place for students, including Eva Besnyö and her friend György Kepes.
In 1922 Pécsi was elected vice president of the Budapest Industrial Guild of Photographers and served as editor of the guild’s journal, Magyar fotográfia (Hungarian photography). In 1930 he published the influential book Photo und Publizität (Photography and publicity) to promote the blending of typography, design, and photography in avant-garde advertising, with contributions from Kepes and others. The publication marks his crossover from the Pictorialist style of his early work to the ascendant international modernism of the interwar period. The World War II years took their toll: he hid in Romania for a brief period; his studio and negatives were destroyed by a bomb in 1945; and, upon his return to Budapest, in 1946, financial hardship and an unfavorable regime forced him to take passport photographs to make ends meet. His passion for photography and innovative spirit were not lost, however; in 1952 he patented a combined duplex Pigment print process under the name PEJO.
—Kelly Cannon - Alternate Name(s) Goldberger Sámuel (Birth Name)
Meeting Points
- Cultural Hubs Budapest
- Photo Industry Hubs London
- Exhibitions Modern Hungarian Photography, 1937
- Publications Pesti napló képes műmelléklet, 1925–39
Artist Chronology
| April 1, 1889 |
Born
At location: József Pécsi
|
Budapest |
| 1909–11 |
Studies at the photography academy
He is awarded the Duhrkoop Medal for distinction at graduation.
At location: József Pécsi
|
Munich |
| 1911–16 |
Establishes his first studio
At location: József Pécsi
|
Budapest |
| 1912 |
Honorary diploma from the Fifth Congress of the International Professional Photographers Association
At location: József Pécsi
|
Paris |
| 1913 |
Appointed honorable member of the London Salon of Photography
At location: József Pécsi
|
London |
| 1913–20 |
Founds and teaches in the photography department at the Budapest School of Industrial Drawing; dismissed in 1920 on political grounds
At location: József Pécsi
|
Budapest |
| 1916–33 |
Teaches and lives in a studio on Dorottya Street
At location: József Pécsi
|
Budapest |
| Spring 1917 |
Organizes an exhibition at his studio of work by students Eva Besnyö, Eva Barta, Zsuzsa Pintér, Margit Kelen, and László Bruck
At location: József Pécsi
|
Budapest |
| 1918–33 |
Edits the journal Magyar Fotográfia
At location: József Pécsi
|
Budapest |
| 1918 |
Publication of Der Akt
|
Dachau |
| May 3–31, 1923 |
First International Salon of the Pictorial Photographers of America
Participant: József Pécsi
|
New York |
| October–November 1926 |
Fourth International Exhibition of Pictorial Photography, at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor
Participant: József Pécsi
|
San Francisco |
| May 1928 |
Exhibition of Hungarian photography at the Photographische Gesellschaft in Vienna
Participant: Martin Munkácsi, József Pécsi
|
Vienna |
| 1930 |
Publishes Photo und Publizität
Contributor: József Pécsi
|
Berlin |
| May 27–November 12, 1933 |
Century of Progress International Photographic Salon at the Chicago Camera Club
Korth is the official photographer of the exposition.
|
Chicago |
| 1933–46 |
Lives in Nagyvárad
Pécsi flees to Nagyvárad, where his brother-in-law is the police chief, to escape persecution by the Nazis
At location: József Pécsi
|
Oradea |
| October 23–November 7, 1937 |
Modern Hungarian Photography
Organizer: Imre Kinszki
|
Budapest |
| December 29, 1944–February 13, 1945 |
Dorottya Street studio burns down during the Siege of Budapest
Affiliated: József Pécsi
|
Budapest |
| 1946–56 |
Lives in Budapest
At location: József Pécsi
|
Budapest |
| 1947–49 |
Teaches at the Trade School
At location: József Pécsi
|
Budapest |
| 1949–56 |
Runs a studio for portraits and passport photographs
At location: József Pécsi
|
Budapest |
| 1952 |
Creates and patents PEJO, a combined duplex pigment print
At location: József Pécsi
|
Budapest |
| October 7, 1956 |
Dies
At location: József Pécsi
|
Budapest |
