Tibor Fulop was born in Budapest in 1961. He grew up in a family that loved and appreciated art.
His first artistic stimuli came from his grandfather, who was one of the most important gallerists and collectors in Europe before World War II. He was the one who managed to survive the hardships of persecution, famine and nationalizations and was the first one who turned his grandson’s interest to painting by frequently taking him to visits to the ateliers of well-known artists. His son, Tibor’s father, kept the family tradition and today he owns a significant collection of paintings in Hungary.
Carrying the artistic tradition of his homeland and his family’s love of art, Tibor turned painting into a way of life at a very early age. By studying and “listening to” various forms of culture, he created his own unique style.
His first individual exhibition took place at the school he attended in Budapest at the age of seventeen. Since then, he has had more than 60 individual exhibitions in art metropolises, such as Budapest, Athens, Munich, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Paris, Boston, Lucerne, Nice, Cannes, Melbourne and elsewhere. Today his paintings are found in public and private collections all over the world, from Tokyo to New York.
In 1989 he got married to a Greek and settled in Greece. There, he created his own exhibition venue, “TIBOR GALLERY” in Athens, where his works are on permanent display and he presents his latest creations, including sculptures and paintings, every year. He is also involved in interior design, clothes design, accessories and jewelry. He has designed numerous company signs and logos. His logo “Wonderful Greece” won first prize in an open contest of the Greek Ministry for Tourism in 2004. This great success paved the way for a very fruitful and long-lasting collaboration. He created the thematic unit of paintings entitled “Greek Wanderings”, which shows some of the innumerable beautiful Greek locations, thus sensitizing the viewer to both historical and contemporary memories. In collaboration with the Ministry, this exhibition traveled in several places in the world, starting from the Hydra History Museum and stopping at Poros, Mykonos, the Municipal Gallery of Salonica, and Athens. Over the next years, his paintings were shown in the Dahesh Museum of Art in New York, in London, Cyprus, and the Hungarian Culture Festival in Melbourne. He had two more exhibitions in Melbourne, Australia, the first under the auspices of the Cultural Organization “The White Flower” and the second in the Greek Community under the auspices of the Greek Embassy.
Another significant success was his collaboration with the Greek Olympic Committee in 2008, in order to create a painting of the Olympic Idea. One hundred copies of the original work of art were given to the one hundred stops of the Olympic Flame, as an official present to the Relay of the Olympic Flame for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, and the original work, entitled “Eternal Travel of Glory”, was given to the final destination of the Flame, in Beijing.
Tibor has taken part in many charitable events, such as “Hearts in Athens”, and he has collaborated with charitable organizations (Elpida, Floga, Me Agapi). He has been honored by the Hungarian Minister for Education and Religion, and the UNESCO Ambassador of Good Will, Mrs. Marianna Vardinoyiannis, and he has received many thank you letters by important people, such as the President of the Democracy of Hungary and Cyprus, for his contribution to culture.
Many articles about his work and exhibitions throughout the world have been published in magazines and newspapers.
He has five children and over the last years he lives and works in Barcelona, Spain.
“Tibor’s paintings are the triumphant affirmation of life, praise of the endless miracle of happiness and beauty itself. He wants to give human beings a present in order to make their lives better.”
Eszter Marosi |Art Historian
Artist’s statement:
I am an ordinary person like everyone else. However, life gave me a unique gift, the need and the ability of creativity. My talent lands in a wide variety of subjects, however is shown strongest through my artistic paintings.
Since as far back as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to become a painter.
With my grandfather’s help, who used to be a gallery owner, I came across a wide variety of artistic studios. Today, almost 40 years of being a self-taught professional artistic painter, I live from my art and for my art. I created my own world combining realism with a pinch of romance, nostalgia, and always a drop of surrealism.
I like to have a common theme in my exhibitions, which very distinctly connects all the paintings. I can feel my paintings bringing feelings of positivism, beauty and love for life. As they leave my studio, I feel my paintings taking a part of my soul. The colors of my paintings fill their new home with hope, peace, joy and happiness. Nowadays, where life might be difficult and extremely demanding, it is the art’s responsibility to make our lives a little bit brighter.
The exhibition is curated by Mrs. Irene Vantaraki.
