Dékáni, Árpád (1861 - 1931)

Studied to become a drawing instructor at the Budapest Academy of Fine Arts, graduating in 1885. He worked as a drawing instructor first in Szabadka (today: Subotica, Yugoslavia), and after 1886 in Kiskunhalas. A member of the Hungarian Society for Applied Arts, he studied and collected relics of Hungarian folkart. In 1902 he set up a lacework atelier in Halas. His designs combined the Art Nouveau’s floral ornamentation with Hungarian folkart motifs, achieving an outstanding synthesis of the two. He first showed his lace designs to the public in 1902 at the Christmas Exhibition held at the Museum of Applied Arts. In 1904 his lacework atelier was awarded a state prize, followed by the Grand Prix of the St Louis World Exhibition of 1904 and of the Milan World Exhibition of 1906. After returning to Budapest in 1906, he was given the job of organizing and managing the Hungarian lace industry. Between 1908 and 1910 held a teaching post at the School of Applied Arts, heading the Department of Handicrafts. Át the end of the First World War he moved back to his native Transylvania (western region of Rumania).