Geszler, Mária (1941 - )

Ceramic artist. She was born in Budapest in 1941. In 1965, she graduated from the Hungarian Academy of Applied Arts (today: Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design) in ceramics under guidance of master ceramicist Árpád Csekovszky. In 1965-1966, she worked as a designer at the Majolica Factory in Hódmezővásárhely, and in 1966-1976 at the Magyarszombatfa Ceramics Company. Since 1976 she has had her own studio in Szombathely. Since its foundation in 1976, she has been a member of the Artistic Council of the International Ceramics Studio in Kecskemét and has organised and curated numerous international symposia. In 1982, she was elected as a member of the International Academy of Ceramics (AIC-IAC, Geneva). In 1991-1992, she was one of the founding members of the TERRA Group. Her main professional distinctions include the Mihály Munkácsy Prize (1979); the Bavarian State Prize, Munich, Federal Republic of Germany (1985); the István Gádor Prize (1995); the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Municipality of Szombathely (2008); and the Kossuth Prize (2018). She has also received awards at the National Ceramics Biennial, Pécs, Hungary (1975, 1978, 1982, 1988, 1990, 2000); the International Ceramics Competition, Gualdo Tadino, Italy (1991); the International Exhibition of Salt Glaze Ceramics, Koblenz, Germany (1992); the International Ceramics Biennial, Vallauris, France (1982, 1984, 2019); the International Ceramics Festival, Mino, Japan (1989, 2002); the International Ceramics Biennial, Taipei, Taiwan (2004); the Hungarian Ceramics 2012, Pécs, Hungary (2013); and the International Ceramics Biennial, Republic of Korea (2019). Her work can be found in numerous public and private collections in Hungary and abroad. She is a regular member of the Hungarian Academy of Arts.