ISTVÁN PETŐ
István Pető, painter
(Sept 1st 1955, Mezőkövesd (H)) View CV
„Je ne suis qu’un peintre-graveur. / ‘I’m just a painter-engraver,’ goes the seemingly simple artistic credo of István Pető. Take a more careful look, though, and it will become evident that this self-identification reveals deep layers of his personality and his entire artistic outlook.
This is because he consciously denies himself the ‘artist’ title, not wanting to identify with a concept that has changed repeatedly and radically by the 21st century. He also declares that painting and printmaking exist in his practice in symbiosis, one assuming and complementing the other. And as you look through his works, you get a clear sense of what is at the heart of his undertaking, the single-minded examination of the same situation—that in which matter and creator enter into a productive dialogue.
How can a state of perfect equilibrium be created in the image? Thus, rather than telling a story, Pető’s art shows the way towards what Péter Esterházy described as: ’Order, rhythm, unity. Construction. Structure, structure, structure.’ The way Pető’s life and art unfolded is the story of his finding his ultimate creative purpose on the path leading up to it.
From the study by Noémi Szabó.
Painter and graphic artist István Pető was born in 1955 in Mezőkövesd. He studied arts first at the College of Applied Arts in Budapest, then at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He moved to Paris in 1984, living and working in his Saint-Denis studio for 40 years. He has been the member of the Maison des Artistes since 1987. For many years he taught graphic art techniques in various institutions. In 2023 he had become a member of the Várfok Gallery in Budapest.
