Gábor KOVÁCS-GOMBOS, painter

He was born in Gyor in 1955. His diplomas: Teachers’ College Pécs (1978), Hungarian Craft University (2001), He is the Chair of Visual Faculty of Benedek Elek Pedagogy High School of Western-Hungarian University. He is a member of the Hungarian Artists and Craftsman Federation, National Association of Hungarian Artists and the Sopron Illustrated Guild. He is also member of the “Várhely” art-literature journal’ s Editorial Board since its foundation (1995).
“It is an unusual venture (even more: undertaking) if a painter today, in the profane world of the beginning of 3rd millennium is painting altar-pieces. Nevertheless, Gábor KOVÁCS-GOMBOS – according to his own artistic form definition – in the past years almost paints only them. Of course, they are not the traditional altar-pieces with saints, biblical scenes. However, there is a very important similarity between his pictures and the former, traditional altar-pieces. On the old – mostly on baroque altar-pieces – one can almost always see as blinding beams of light from the sky are thrown on the figures of the picture. On Gábor KOVÁCS-GOMBOS altar-pieces the most important - one can say mostly the only – component or topic the dazzling, glistening, sparkling heavenly light radiating on us from somewhere very distant. Gábor KOVÁCS-GOMBOS’s pictures, precisely because of this very distant light resembling the former, truly classic altar-pieces in their intellectual-emotional background (or to use a more appropriate word to describe the inconceivable light-presenting pictures: “in their spiritual halo of the moon”). These pictures, too, inspire us for meditation, self-communion and purification” (Gábor MARTOS).
Up to today he had 22 individual exhibitions in Hungary and abroad. The most current ones (2000-2002): “My altar-pieces” Budapest, Rátkai Márton Club; “Light threshold”, the Abbey of Pannonhalma; Square Gallery; Budapest; “The Light of Interval” Budapest, Water-City Gallery.
He was awarded on 8 occasions, receiving prizes, and/or art fellowship.