Karoly Fulop
1893 – 1963

Karoly Fulop was born in 1893 in Czabadka, Hungaryand is known as a painter, watercolorist, and sculptor of ceramics, wood, and bronzes.

He studied art in Budapest, Munich and Paris. He was an artist of unique and curious influences who incorporated icons from his Catholic background with symbolist images from the Modern European avant-garde art movements. His paintings, watercolors, and sculptures are reminiscent of the decorative qualities found in work from the Byzantine Empire. The ornate onion domes and architectural style from Byzantium can still be seen in many buildings around Budapest. The influence of the Vienna and Hungarian Secessionist movements are also evident in Fulop’s work.

Fulop’s earliest works portrayed the romantic themes of medieval stories. His travels further influenced the subject matter of his paintings.  In New York he created sculptures with musical and nautical themes. In California he incorporated the Spanish missions in his work; the image of the bell ringers was a reoccurring theme.

Fulop moved to New York in 1920 and eventually to Los Angeles in the 1930’s. He opened a school of decorative arts in his L.A. studio.  While living in Los Angeles he maintained a studio in Paris and spent time on the East Coast.

Fulop exhibited at the Whitney Studio Club in New York in 1921. He exhibited in the Babcock Galleries in New York around 1930 and at the Stendahl Galleries in Los Angeles in 1930. He also exhibited at the Doll and Richards Galleries in Boston.  He participated in a group exhibition at the Grand Central Galleries in New York. In California he exhibited at the Pacific International Exposition in San Diego in 1935 and the Golden Gate International Exposition: Treasure Island in San Francisco in 1939.  Fulop’s work was included in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art 1980 exhibition “Painting and Sculpture in Los Angeles: 1900-1945.”

Fulop also gained fame for the murals he designed for the Philadelphia Public Library.

Fulop won a First Prize in 1937 at the Los Angeles Museum of Art as well as an award at the New York World’s Fair in 1939. Additionally, he won the Mr. and Mrs. Irving T. Snyder Prize at the San Diego Museum.

Fulop’s work is represented in the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Fine Arts Gallery in San Diego, the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco and the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Fulop died in Los Angeles on April 7, 1963.