1952 - Painter
Biography
István Nyári graduated in 1977 from the Hungarian College of Applied Arts with a degree in advertising graphics and has been active in the field of visual arts since 1978. His work became renowned at the turn of the 1970s and 1980s for hyper realistic, photorealistic paintings, such as "Csirkeragu" (Chicken Stew) (1981, Szombathely Art Gallery). This style, characterized by detailed, precise, but emotionless depictions and montage-like connections of various motifs, was pursued for over a decade. Later, his interest shifted to the relationship between kitsch and fine art, which defined his reliefs, objects, and object compositions.
In addition to solo exhibitions, he has participated in numerous group exhibitions both in Hungary and internationally, including in the United States, Belgium, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Spain, and Switzerland. In London, the National Portrait Gallery selected one of his paintings, which was subsequently exhibited in Scotland and Wales. His works are found in several Hungarian public collections and a significant number enrich private collections in Australia, the USA, Switzerland, Austria, and Hungary.
Since 1994, publications on Nyári's art have been regularly released; both renowned Hungarian experts and critics from Switzerland and Spain have addressed his work. One of the United States' most popular online art magazines, Juxtapoz, published an extensive, illustrated article about him, later followed by art-sheep magazine. In 2019, he was listed among the most expensive living and deceased Hungarian artists. Although Nyári sympathizes with the Lowbrow art movement, he considers himself primarily a pop-surrealist artist.
In the early stages of his career, he worked as an advertising graphic designer, designing covers for numerous significant music albums in both classical and popular music. His notable works include covers for the Omega band’s "Gammapolis" and "Az arc," (The Face) as well as the Hobo Blues Band's "Középeurópai Hobo Blues."
Nyári also designed the covers for the first issues of the samizdat magazine Beszélő, (Speaker) which he printed with Miklós Haraszti. He worked as a visual designer for the Omega band, a costume designer for the Hobo Blues Band, and developed the visual world for Gábor Bódy’s film "Narcissus and Psyche," collaborating with Gábor Bachman.
"Nyári is best known for his paintings that balance on the edge of (hyper) realism and pop-surrealism, filling entire walls. His works are generally discussed in terms of post-human visions, kitsch elements, absurd situations, and phenomena selected from various subcultures, which satirically and almost frighteningly reflect the absurdities of the 21st-century consumer society and the oppressive fixations of our objectified environment." (Source: Új Művészet (New Art, Attila Sirbik)
2025 – Bing Bang: Expanding Collection Horizons – Group Exhibition, Ludwig Museum – Museum of Contemporary Art, Budapest, Hungary
2025 – Non-fungible Objects / 3rd National Salon of Fine Arts – Group Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, Hungary
2024 – Art Market: Solo Selection from the Horn Collection – Solo Exhibition
2024 – MKISZ "In Space-In Plane" Exhibition, Klebelsberg Kultúrkúria, Budapest – Group Exhibition
2024 – "Euphoria in Art", HAB (Hungarian Art & Business), Budapest – Group Exhibition
2024 – BMN Contemporary Exhibition, Széphárom, Budapest – Group Exhibition
2023 – BMN Contemporary Exhibition, Széphárom, Budapest – Group Exhibition
2023 – Fine Art Hungary – Art Piece of the Year, Balatonföldvár Lookout Gallery – Group Exhibition
2022 – BMN Contemporary Exhibition, Széphárom, Budapest – Group Exhibition
2021 – "Presence", K-Gallery, Budapest – Group Exhibition
2021 – David Kovats Gallery, London, UK – Solo Exhibition
2017 – Beauty & Beast, NextArt Gallery, Budapest, Hungary – Solo Exhibition
2016 – kArton Gallery, Budapest, Hungary – Solo Exhibition
2015 – Freshly – Straight from the Studio, Műcsarnok Kunsthalle, Budapest – Group Exhibition
2014 – Kápolna Gallery, Kecskemét – "Borderline Beings" – Transformations of the Human Body, Night of Museums – Group Exhibition
2013 – Virág Judit Gallery, Budapest, Hungary – Solo Exhibition
2013 – Deadly Nature, MODEM, Debrecen – Group Exhibition
2011 – Mexico Sinestro, Resistance Gallery, London, UK – Group Exhibition
2011 – BP Portrait Award, Aberdeen Art Gallery, Scotland – Group Exhibition
2011 – BP Portrait Award, National Portrait Gallery, London, UK – Group Exhibition
2010 – Most Colorful Summer, BUMBUM, Budapest – Group Exhibition
2009 – Selected Works of Contemporaries and Classics, BUMBUM, Budapest – Group Exhibition
2008 – White Gallery, Budapest, Hungary – Group Exhibition
2008 – White Gallery, Budapest, Hungary – Solo Exhibition
2007 – White Gallery, Budapest, Hungary – Solo Exhibition
2007 – White Gallery, Budapest, Hungary – Group Exhibition
2006 – "Hommage à Sándor Márai", Home Gallery, Budapest – Group Exhibition
2006 – "One for All and All for One", Aeroplastics Gallery, Brussels, Belgium – Group Exhibition
2006 – White Gallery, Budapest, Hungary – Solo Exhibition
2005 – "Playtime", Aeroplastics Gallery, Brussels, Belgium – Group Exhibition
2004 – MEO – Contemporary Art Collection, Budapest, Hungary – Solo Exhibition
2003 – Galamb Gallery, Budapest, Hungary – Solo Exhibition
2003 – "Santa is Human Too", MEO, Budapest – Group Exhibition
2002 – "Inherited Realism", Szombathely Art Gallery, Szombathely – Group Exhibition
2002 – KunstZurich, Zurich, Switzerland – Group Exhibition
2001 – XO Gallery, Budapest, Hungary – Solo Exhibition
2001 – "Within and Beyond Sculpture", Műcsarnok Kunsthalle, Budapest – Group Exhibition
2000 – KunstZurich, Zurich, Switzerland – Group Exhibition
2000 – "Dialogue", Műcsarnok Kunsthalle, Budapest – Group Exhibition
1999 – XO Gallery, Budapest, Hungary – Solo Exhibition
1997 – "Oil / Canvas", Műcsarnok Kunsthalle, Budapest – Group Exhibition
1997 – "Diaspora (And) Art", Dohány Street Synagogue, Budapest – Group Exhibition
1996 – "Survey" (Helyzet-kép), Műcsarnok Kunsthalle, Budapest – Group Exhibition
1996 – Vigadó Gallery, Budapest, Hungary – Solo Exhibition
1995 – "Art of the 80s", Ernst Museum, Budapest – Group Exhibition
1994 – Várfok Gallery, Budapest, Hungary – Solo Exhibition
1993 – "Nueva Pittura del Este", Galeria del Arte Detursa, Madrid, Spain – Group Exhibition
1992 – King St. Stephen Museum, Székesfehérvár, Hungary – Solo Exhibition
1991 – Dorottya Street Exhibition Hall, Budapest, Hungary – Solo Exhibition
1990 – "Body-Decoration" (Test-ék), Budapest Gallery, Budapest – Group Exhibition
1987 – "Magical Works", Szombathely – Group Exhibition
1986 – Fashion Institute of Technology, New York City, NY, USA – Group Exhibition
1985 – Liget Gallery, Budapest, Hungary – Solo Exhibition
1984 – "kb. 50515253 cca", Pécs Gallery, Pécs – Group Exhibition
1983 – Studio ’83, Műcsarnok Kunsthalle, Budapest – Group Exhibition
1982 – Studio ’82, Műcsarnok Kunsthalle, Budapest – Group Exhibition
1978 – Young Artists' Club (FMK), Budapest – Group Exhibition
1976 – Young Artists' Club (FMK), Budapest – Solo Exhibition
Public Collections
-
Szombathely Art Gallery, Szombathely, Hungary
-
Vak Bottyán Museum, Vác, Hungary
-
King St. Stephen Museum, Székesfehérvár, Hungary
-
Csók István Gallery, Székesfehérvár, Hungary
-
Ludwig Museum – Museum of Contemporary Art, Budapest, Hungary
-
Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
-
Fine Art Collection of the Synagogue, Budapest, Hungary
-
Fashion Institute of Technology, New York City, NY, USA
