Toroczkai Wigand, Ede (1869 - 1945)

Architect and furniture designer. His career is a typical example of a life-long search for an individually -interpreted national-folkish style based on traditional folk art. Early on in his career he took part in architectural design of the castle at Bajmóc and of Parliament. As a craftsman, he became a member of the Gödöllő colony of artists. He .travelled through out Transylvania in an attempt to survey its traditional architecture. The effects of these traditions were reflected in his interior designs, which he created on the basis of archaic and folk art elements (e. g., Chamber of Industry and Commerce in the Szekler Country, community houses and schools in Transylvania). He also designed standardized homes and furniture for workers, peasants and craftsmen. In the interiors he designed for the homes of middle- class families, he preferred the simplified, constructive structures of the functional trend of English Art Nouveau and the Viennese Secession. His furniture designs were also highly acclaimed abroad.