Hungarian painter, photographer, Bauhaus professor AND perhaps a relation of ours?
Recently, my sister was reading about László Moholy-Nagy's background and found several of his pictures. She thought the resemblance to our grandfather, Alexander Nagy, was truly amazing and brought this to the attention of our mother. Then, my mother contacted me after viewing several of Moholy-Nagy's pictures throughout his life. Coupling the resemblances, with the artistic talents of our grandfather, and other family members, my mother suggested I do some research to see what I could find.
Laszlo Moholy-Nagy (July 20, 1895 - November 24, 1946) was a Hungarian painter and photographer as well as professor in the Bauhaus school. He was highly influenced by constructivism. He was a strong advocate of the integration of technology and industry in to the arts.
This is a picture of Moholy-Nagy credited to Coster, courtesy of The Moholy-Nagy Foundation.
László Moholy-Nagy Timeline
- 1895 - born on July 20th in Borsod, later Bácsborsod, in southern Hungary. His father, foreman of a wealthy estate, leaves the family when the children are young.
- 1905 - begins secondary school in the town of Szeged.
- 1911 - early poems are published in the Szeged daily newspapers.
- 1913 - enrolls as a law student at the University of Budapest.
- 1915 - enlists in the Austro-Hungarian Army as an artillery officer.
- 1917 - wounded on the Russian Front.
- 1918 - discharged from the army, he abandons his law studies to become an artist.
- 1919 - in March he is included in an exhibition at the Mücsarnok (Hall of Art). He moves to Szeged in August where he works with Sándor Gergely, exhibiting in November. At the end of the year, he moves to Vienna.
- 1925 - Moholy-Nagy joined the Bauhaus under Gropius.
- 1927 - He was editor of the art and photography department of the European avant-garde magazine International Revue i 10 until 1929.
- 1928 - Moholy-Nagy resigned from the Bauhaus worked in film and stage design in Berlin and then in Paris before moving to London in 1935.
- 1929 - He and first wife, Lucia, separated in and eventually divorced in 1934.
- 1935 - He married Sibyl Pietzsch and they had two daughters, Hattula and Claudia.
- 1936 - He was commissioned by fellow Hungarian, the film producer Alexander Korda, to design special effects for Things to Come.
- 1936 - Moholy-Nagy became the director of the New Bauhaus, School of Design, later known as the School of Design in Chicago.
- 1946 - He died of leukemia in Chicago on November 24th.
- 1947 - His book Vision in Motion was published.
- 1984 - Laszlo Moholy-Nagy was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum for his contribution to the history of photography. His innovative thinking and style promoted and advanced the appreciation for photography as an art.
László Moholy-Nagy at a glance
László Moholy-Nagy (), July 20, 1895 - November 24, 1946) was a Hungarian painter and photographer as well as professor in the Bauhaus school. He was highly influenced by constructivism and a strong advocate of the integration of technology and industry into the arts.
László Moholy-Nagy 1917
Space, time, matter - are they on with light, conditioned by light as you are conditioned by life?
Light, ordering, leading, light shining so unattainably as reflection, illuminating pure being, flow into me, light, you proud, sharp light, you wild light, that purifies my eyes.
Matter, space and time in contours of light, in eternal light, light as the power that creates. And insignificance, so conceitedly equated with time and space, surrounds the darkness of man. Only light, total light makes him complete.
László Moholy-Nagy 1925
1925 in Paris. Moholy-Nagy and Franciska Clausen (1899 - 1986), a Danish fine art painter.Moholy-Nagy joined the Bauhaus under Gropius in 1925, and provided the building blocks for the New Photographer's movement. In Weimar, Germany, with his Bauhaus colleagues, Moholy-Nagy begins to write and edit over 14 books on modern art and design.
At the Bauhaus Moholy-Nagy develops a flair for teaching and writing, quickly becoming one of Gropius's most important colleagues. His writing especially wins him international fame.
Photo credit: Moholy-Nagy Foundation.
László Moholy-Nagy 1925-1926
I love this picture!
By Lucia Moholy (British, born Czechoslovakia, 1894-1989). Gelatin silver print 10-1/16 x 7-7/8 inches. Ford Motor Company Collection, Gift of Ford Motor Company and John C. Waddell, 1987.Lucia Moholy was one of the most prolific photographers at the Bauhaus between 1923 and 1928, while her husband, László Moholy-Nagy, was an instructor there. For both, photography was not simply a transparent window onto objective reality but a specific technology to be systematically explored in the modern spirit of exuberant experimentation. Here, illustrating the effect of selective focus, Moholy imprints his hand against the invisible picture plane that separates viewer and subject-a playful, disorienting gesture that collapses illusionistic depth into the concrete reality of the photographic image.
László Moholy-Nagy 1926
This photograph of Moholy-Nagy was taken in Dessau in 1926, by Lucia Moholy.He was editor of the art and photography department of the European avant-garde magazine International Revue i 10 from 1927 to 1929.
Moholy-Nagy resigned from the Bauhaus in 1928 and worked in film and stage design in Berlin and then in Paris before moving to London in 1935.
Photo credit: Moholy-Nagy Foundation.
László Moholy-Nagy 1936
Moholy-Nagy with his older brother, Jenô, Budapest, 1936.In 1936 he was commissioned by fellow Hungarian, the film producer Alexander Korda, to design special effects for Things to Come. Working at Denham Studios Moholy-Nagy created kinetic sculptures and abstract light effects but they were rejected by the film's Director.
Photo credit: Moholy-Nagy Foundation.
László Moholy-Nagy 1945
Moholy-Nagy at his desk, Institute of Design, Chicago, c. 1945, photograph by Frank Sokolik.Photo credit: Moholy-Nagy Foundation.
László Moholy-Nagy 1946
Moholy-Nagy with an oil painting of 1945, Institute of Design, Chicago, 1946, photograph by Vories Fisher.He died of leukemia in Chicago on November 24, 1946.
Photo credit: Moholy-Nagy Foundation.
Bauhaus at a glance
' ("House of Building" or "Building School") is the common term for the ', a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933.
The Bauhaus school was founded by Walter Gropius in Weimar. In spite of its name, and the fact that its founder was an architect, the Bauhaus did not have an architecture department during the first years of its existence. Nonetheless it was founded with the idea of creating a 'total' work of art in which all arts, including architecture would eventually be brought together. The Bauhaus style became one of the most influential currents in Modernist architecture and modern design. The Bauhaus had a profound influence upon subsequent developments in art, architecture, graphic design, interior design, industrial design, and typography.
The school existed in three German cities (Weimar from 1919 to 1925, Dessau from 1925 to 1932 and Berlin from 1932 to 1933), under three different architect-directors: Walter Gropius from 1919 to 1927, Hannes Meyer from 1927 to 1930 and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe from 1930 until 1933, when the school was closed by the Nazi regime.
The changes of venue and leadership resulted in a constant shifting of focus, technique, instructors, and politics. For instance: the pottery shop was discontinued when the school moved from Weimar to Dessau, even though it had been an important revenue source; when Mies van der Rohe took over the school in 1930, he transformed it into a private school, and would not allow any supporters of Hannes Meyer to attend it.
In his words ... László Moholy-Nagy
The buzz on László Moholy-Nagy
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More on Moholy-Nagy
- László Moholy-Nagy
- László Moholy-Nagy from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
- Moholy-Nagy Foundation
- The Moholy-Nagy Foundation is a private family organization that promotes further research on László Moholy-Nagy and his work.
- Moholy-Nagy Photography
- George Eastman House Still Photograph Archive 71 Selected Images of Moholy-Nagy.
- Moholy-Nagy and Chicago
- Andrew Otwell Art History papers on Moholy-Nagy and Chicago, 1997.
- Sibyl Moholy-Nagy
- Sibyl Moholy-Nagy (b. 1905 d. 1971), Art critic, Educator, Art historian, Author. Her memoirs and diaries, 1931-1959.
Is Alexander Nagy related to László Moholy-Nagy?
A younger side-by-side comparison
An older side-by-side comparison
My grandfather Alexander Nagy resembles Moholy-Nagy!!
His mother was Julia Vereczki, born April 8, 1873 in Szatmar, Austro-Hungary [now Satu-Mare, Romania]. His father was Steve [Istvan?] Nagy, born August 20, 1864 in Hungary. They were married October 26, 1889 probably in Szatmar.
Originally, my sister was reading about László Moholy-Nagy's background and found pictures of him throughout his life. Amazed at his artistic background, coupled with the resemblance to our grandfather, she brought this to the attention of our mother.
Alexander Nagy Parents
Married in Szatmar, Hungary
Steve Nagy was born August 20, 1864 in Hungary and died approximately September 1930 in Europe. Reportedly, he was a handsome man with dark good looks whose father was supposedly a wealthy land owner and important person in Hungary during the middle 1800s. Alexander related stories of working for his grandfather on his estate.
Julia Vereczki was born April 8, 1873 in Szatmar, Austro-Hungary and died April 19, 1940 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Alexander Nagy Timeline
- 1899 - Born September 7th in Szatmar, Hungary [today known as Satu Mare, Romania].
- 1900s - Alexander often spoke to his daughter about working on his grandfather's estate; his mother Julia Vereczki's father's family.
- 1928 - Naturalized in the U.S. on September 14th. #2839658, U.S. Dept. of Labor, Northern District of Ohio. Listed as citizen of Romania.
- 1928 - Married Julia Kovach on October 2nd at St. Mary's in Cleveland, Ohio.
- 1929 - Daughter Lillian born August 21st.
- 1930 - His father dies in September in Europe.
- 1931 - Son Robert John born May 12th.
- 1949 - Daughter's wedding in June.
- 1967 - Died on April 21st. Last address: 16605 Chatfield Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio [house sold in 9/1979]. Funeral by Victor Sepsi. Buried: Section 11, Lot 4640, Grave 2 in Holy Cross Cemetary, Cleveland, Ohio.
Alexander Nagy circa 1920
His single years
"This picture of Alexander in the swimsuit, of the 'Roaring Twenties' era, [circa 1920] is when he belonged to the Cleveland Athletic Club. His sister, Margaret's husband, Elmer Klimko, was a member there, as well.As a single man, Alexander also played in his brother-in-law's orchestra while he was in his twenties. You could say he was a musician."
Alexander Nagy 1928
His marriage
Alexander Nagy married Julia Kovach on October 2, 1928 in St. Mary's Church in Cleveland, Ohio.The date October 2nd was of particular interest as Julia's birthday was October 1st, the day before.
And, less than one month earlier, on September 14th, Alexander was naturalized as a U.S. citizen one week after his birthday on September 7th!
Alexander Nagy 1949
His daughter's wedding
Alexander Nagy in June 1949 at his daughter's wedding."He was very adept and lifted the roof up on the first 2 houses we lived in, making a second floor. Later, after he was in his early 50s he didn't do any more since having a heart attack while visiting out west on a trip.
He was in charge of maintenance on government housing off Rocky River Drive in Cleveland, Ohio, for the last years of his life."
Alexander Nagy 1956
My grandfather and I
This picture was probably taken at Easter time, judging by the dress.What I remember about my grandfather was that he always was dressed quite nicely for holidays and Sundays. His shirts were starched. Plus, his signature piece of accessory were his suspenders which I particularly liked to "snap."
Drop me a note ...
Do you have any thoughts about Laszlo Moholy-Nagy or Alexander Nagy or Bauhaus that you would like to share? I thank you for visiting my lens.
dc64 wrote...
Wow, the resemblance is uncanny, especially in the younger photos. I would think they were the same person. How exciting to find a possible relative. As far as I know, I'm related to no one even remotely famous, at least not in real life ; )
Posted July 04, 2009
carpe-diem wrote...
There is no doubt in my mind that a lot of the family talents and traits have rubbed off on you.But none of them are as cute as you! Peace and happiness in all your endeavour's.
Posted June 06, 2009
lilkon wrote...
Could it be that an Alexander Nagy granddaughter has inherited some of that supposed family artistic ability which she calls Psychedelic Camouflage. Her show is on right now in Cincinnati. See dianehay.turnblr.com
Posted June 06, 2009
karmasherbs wrote...
Me too... I saw a definite resemblance! Good luck with your continued research:)
Posted May 18, 2009
GrowWear wrote...
Definitely saw some resemblance. This was very interesting! ...I love that quotation about machines taking the place of our transcendental spiritualism. He was so on the money! ...Yeah, loved that intro picture immediately.
Posted May 16, 2009
Two special lenses dedicated to my grandfather & my grandmother
Alexander J. Nagy and Julia Nagy -- my namesake & my superhero
To think they've found each other again in Heaven!-
Nagy -- The Hungarian Name
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My research has shown that the Hungarian name of "Nagy" is much like the American name of Smith. In other words, the Nagy name was used a lot in Hungary and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, probably because it translated to "big...
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Julia Nagy -- My Grandmother, Namesake and Superhero
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Thinking about the 'superheroes' in my life, the very first person that comes to mind is my grandmother! First of all, my grandmother was my namesake -- I was named in honor of my grandmother! And, I can't think of a day that goes by that I do NOT th...
Footnote
My research continues ...
The "Nagy" name is used extensively among Hungarians, making genealogy research a bit of a challenge.For more information on Alexander Nagy, please be sure to see my lens entitled: Nagy, the Hungarian Name.
And so my journey continues ...
Moholy-Nagy Books
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