(1900, Katona – 1988, Budapest)

After arriving in Budapest from Transylvania in 1919 Jenő Barcsay enrolled at the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts.
During his first visit to Paris in 1926 he came under the influence of the art of impressionist painters such as Cézanne, Modigliani and Matisse; on his second trip in 1929 his original artistic vision was consolidated by cubism.
In 1929 he became a member of the Artists’ Colony of Szentendre and the Painters’ Society of Szentendre.
From 1945 he was professor of anatomy and freehand perspective at the Academy of Fine Arts. In 1953 he wrote his book Anatomy for the Artist, which has been translated into 13 languages and brought him international fame.
At the beginning of his Szentendre period he was inspired by the surrounding landscape, whereas from the 1960s he came under the influence of the geometric forms hidden behind the baroque façades of the town.
From the 1960s he created several monumental glass mosaics, including one of his masterpieces: a 3 × 11-metre Murano glass mosaic with golden background (1975), which can be seen in Szentendre.