Tamás Ajtai

MY short story

I was born in Kecskemét, Hungary, on May 27, 1952.

After completing primary school, I attended the Secondary School of Fine and Applied Arts in Budapest, where I specialized in ceramics. In 1973, I was admitted to the Department of Ceramics at the Hungarian University of Applied Arts (now Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design).

My teachers included the renowned artists and educators Árpád Csekovszky (ceramist), Ferenc Kovács (sculptor), József Litkey (painter), and György Segesdy (sculptor).

I graduated in 1979 with a degree in Ceramic Arts. From 1979 to 1990, I worked as a designer at the Zsolnay Porcelain Manufactory in Budapest. During this period, I successfully participated in numerous national design competitions and received several professional awards, including the Design Excellence Award of the Ministry of Construction in 1984. As a ceramic artist, I also created large-scale mural works for public institutions.

Since the early 1990s, my artistic interest has gradually shifted toward applied and visual arts, leading me from three-dimensional plastic expression toward two-dimensional artistic forms and graphic composition.

Since 1995, I have regularly exhibited my work in both Hungary and abroad, presenting the results of my ongoing artistic practice. My work has been shown in numerous solo and group exhibitions, and my artworks can be found in private collections throughout Europe and other countries.

Among the artists who have had a significant influence on my artistic development are Antoni Tàpies, Kurt Schwitters, Ben Nicholson, Lili Ország, Serge Poliakoff, and István Birkás.