Pierre Székely (1923-2001) - Lot 204

Pierre Székely (1923-2001) Human, to Hanna 1962 Sculpture in Euville stone Signed, titled, dated and dedicated on a metal plate set into the base 166 x 86 x 60 cm Provenance: Former Verger collection, Neuilly Sold by designation The work is dedicated to Hanna Dallos (1907-1945), Hungarian painter, famous for having been the voice of Dialogues with the Angel in 1943 and 1944; she was assassinated by the Nazis. The work is listed in Pierre Karinthy's online catalog raisonné of the artist. Bibliography: Sylvie Gaillaguet, Székely, L'œuvre Budapest, Palatinus Könyvek, 1998, reproduced on page 128 and referenced as 1962-17, a A native of Budapest, Pierre Székely studied drawing with Hanna Dallos before being deported to a labor camp in 1944, where he worked as a stonecutter. At the end of the war, having escaped from a convoy of deportees to Germany, he resumed his work as a draughtsman before settling in Paris in 1946. In the 1950s, he created his first sculptures in stone, wood, metal and ceramics, influenced by surrealism and abstraction. Working with architects such as Henri Mouette and Claude Guislain, Pierre Székely's work became public and was installed in housing estates and schools. He won the Grand Prix at the Biennale Internationale des Arts de la Rue in 1978.