“Give the ones you love wings to fly, roots to come back and a reason to stay.”—Dalai Lama
Csaba Bereczky believes, and openly professes, that life entrusts each person with a task. He does not regard the knowledge and skills he inherited and learned from his predecessors as something to be kept for himself. Rather, he feels a responsibility to pass them on to his children and students, so that they may build the future here, in their homeland—for the well-being of us all, and for the survival of Hungary. “We must take action to make all this happen, to build it, to make the country a happier place.”
Csaba Bereczky is a woodcarver and folk artist, a master of folk art, a corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Arts, and a representative of the Nomad generation.
He is an artist who feels truly fulfilled when surrounded by his students—when he can develop a school, embrace a tradition, and carry it forward. Csaba Bereczky helped create a movement within folk art. In 1973, the Young Folk Artists competition—followed in 1974 by the Tábor Tokajon (Camp in Toka)—shaped the course of his artistic life. Alongside many young folk artists, the Writers’ Union and the National Camp of Drawing Teachers also held their summer gatherings there, forming the basis of numerous lifelong artistic friendships. It was here that they met, among others, László Nagy and Gábor Czakó. Participants from the three camps jointly invited Imre Makovecz to give a lecture, laying the artistic groundwork for later collaboration
Family background
His family background—with grandparents who were farmers from Egregyi on one side and industrialists from Oradea on the other, and the contrasting lifestyles of the two families—had a profound influence on his interests and knowledge. Even as a child, he was particularly fond of the wooden tools and utensils used in rural life. He was directly exposed to folk culture. After 1956, his parents started to sew the Kalotaszeg “cifra bujka” (a traditional embroidered woollen jacket from the Kalotaszeg region of Transylvania; cifra means “richly decorated”; bujka refers to the woollen jacket), but in a slightly “modernised”, more comfortable form. The first bujka to be embroidered in the family was stitched by Csaba Bereczky himself. From 1972 onwards, his parents steadily expanded their folk-costume making, ultimately producing more than half a thousand traditional jackets for ensembles and individuals at home, across the borders and even overseas. For their work in revitalising traditional dress, they were first awarded the title Folk Artist, and later received the honour Master of Folk Art. They became regular participants in the fairs of Buda Castle, later at the Mesterségek Ünnepe (Festival of Folk Arts), as well as at the Dance House gatherings held in the Sports Hall—and later together with Csaba Berecky’s wife Teréz, who is a weaver, lace maker and a Folk Artist too.
He started to learn folk dance at a young age. He was an active folk dancer for eight years. He learned the skills of straw inlay from a friend of his father in Oradea. Straw was later followed by wood—and eventually by bone and horn as well. He made most of his own tools. He began with small pieces of shepherd art and gradually progressed through peasant furniture, carved chests, wooden playground elements and sculptures, eventually arriving at the creation of folk musical instruments. In addition to wood, bark, horn and bone also play a role in his works. He employs a wide range of techniques. Using hollowing techniques, he makes drinking vessels, bowls and spoons. He decorates light-coloured objects with incised patterns; he applies carved ornamentation to bone and horn spice containers, drinking horns and jewellery. With wedge-cut decorations and motifs, he embellishes small kitchen tools, chair backs and mirror frames. Through relief carving he creates mirror shelves, plate racks and coats of arms. He has carved grave-posts in both Hungarian and Transylvanian styles for several towns across the country, as well as for locations abroad. His grave-posts (wooden grave markers) stand in both cemeteries of Keszthely. In honour of the Millennial Anniversary, he created the central cross for the cemetery of Zágorhida. At the request of the Association of Christian Intellectuals, he carved an ornamental gate for one of the side entrances of the Helikon Park in Keszthely. In 2018, commissioned by the municipality of Cserszegtomaj, he produced a memorial cross for Trianon. His furniture is made and decorated in the traditional peasant-baroque style.
From 1974 onwards he took his works to Budapest to be assessed by the Council of Folk Applied Arts, as it was called at the time, and he also entered the Young Master of Folk Art competitions. For young people working in object-based folk art, Fadd-Dombori first, and from 1974 Tokaj, became the principal summer creative workshops.
The charismatic folk art movement
The 1970s brought a renewal of Hungarian art. In the case of Csaba Bereczky and his contemporaries, we can speak of a folk-art movement—a charismatic circle whose formation was unconventional in itself. In 1974, Tokaj hosted the camp where numerous young folk artists gathered: singers, dancers, embroiderers, weavers, woodcarvers, blacksmiths and practitioners of many other crafts. Alongside Csaba Bereczky, the Tokaj Creative Camp launched the careers of artists such as Árpád Koch, József Zelnik, Géza Samu and their companions—the group who later built that remarkable house with a tree of life at its centre, crowned by a great wooden bird with board-feathers, and a fire burning at its heart. One remarkable fact about the camp is that, at the very same time as the gathering of young folk artists, the Writers’ Union was also holding its own retreat there, attended by renowned poets and authors such as László Nagy and Gábor Cakó. In hindsight, it hardly seems a coincidence that a third camp—the national gathering of art teachers—was also taking place in Tokaj at that time. Thus a remarkable “selected” company of artists came together there, whose articulated way of thinking aimed at a vision that could almost be regarded as a programme: a deeper understanding and renewed appreciation of tradition. At a joint meeting of the three camps, Imre Makovecz was invited—the architect who later went on to design several creative houses. From that point onwards, Csaba Bereczky took part in almost every such summer camp, contributing to the design and construction of wooden playgrounds.
Together with this creative community, they built shared workshops: the gallery house envisioned by Imre Makovecz on the peninsula where the Tisza and Bodrog rivers meet, and they carved and constructed tables and furniture ensembles based on the designs of György Csete.
The 1980s: Creative Houses and Village Cultural Centres
The first, and perhaps truly significant, rural creative house was established in Velem, Vas County. Its development was decided in 1979, with the aim of expanding the Velem Woodcarving Studio into a complex folk-art centre by involving textile artists (weavers, embroiderers), potters, straw-plaiters, leatherworkers, sculptural carvers, and later blacksmiths. Among the builders was László Péterfy, who took part both in the construction of the carving house in Velem and in the work carried out at the artists’ workshop centre in Tokaj. Following the example set in Vas County, plans were made in Zala County to establish a county creative house next to Lake Gébárti. From 1982 onwards, the director of the Municipal Cultural Centre, Dr Flórián Kováts, became its leading figure. He acted as the link between civil creative communities, the visual artists led by interior designer György Fekete, the Zala County Woodcarving Studio, and the folk artists of the Zala County Folk Art Association. A creative house was also established in Keszthely.
In 1980, he was awarded the title Young Master of Folk Art for a carved chest made from pearwood. In 1985, he also received the title Folk Artist, and in 2004 he was honoured with the distinction Master of Folk Art.
In 1982, he founded the Folk Art Association, of which he became a founding member with his parents and wife. The first president of the Association was László Péterfy, a sculptor. Their primary task was to represent the younger and older generations in professional and social life.
From 1985 onwards, several village councils in Zala County began considering the renovation or construction of community houses. They approached and commissioned Imre Makovecz to design these buildings, leading to a county-wide programme of community house construction. At that time, the head of the Zalaegerszeg Municipal Cultural Centre was Flórián Kovács, whose involvement—combined with the vision of the artists’ community and the Bereczky family—made this collaborative effort possible. The Gébárti Craft House was built in cooperation with the woodcarvers of the Zala County Folk Art Association, artisans of other craft areas, local factories, and the Deák Vocational School. Imre Makovecz also visited the construction site. In the first three community houses—in Zalaszentlászló, Baki and Bagod—many of the furnishings bear the mark of Csaba Bereczky and his fellow woodcarvers. During the construction works of the community house project, part of the furniture-making tasks was carried out under the leadership of Csaba Bereczky, based on the interior furniture designs, at the request of Imre Makovecz. The first such location was the Community House in Zalaszentlászló, where—following the interior designs of Judit Hámori—tables, chairs, armchairs, benches, radiator covers and the library shelves were produced. The entire timber structure of the building was made by the local carpenters living in the village. The second community house was built in Bak. Here too, Csaba Bereczky realised the interior design plans of Gábor Mezei, which included uniquely styled ‘lion-motif’ reception chairs, tables and armchairs. The third location was the community house in Bagod, where he was able to realise the interior design plans of György Fekete with the involvement of fellow woodcarvers. During the construction of the community houses, he met countless times with Flórián Kováts and Imre Makovecz. The woodcarver recalls: “For me, Imre Makovecz is someone who, based on ancient knowledge, created something entirely new while remaining faithful to traditional building methods. It is no coincidence that in almost every major project, those village carpenters appear who still know all the ins and outs of this profession. They can apply this knowledge in the simplest way when constructing even the most varied forms. He loved craftsmen and their skills. He was never ashamed to ask for their opinion. I asked him to design my own house. He accepted my request and did not ask for any money—only that I make for him the lion-motif chair of the Community House in Bak. Naturally, I was happy to make it for him. I believe we both benefited, and our friendship only grew stronger because of it.”
Zala County – home
In 1994, the Népművészeti Egyesületek Szövetsége (Association of Folk Art Organisations) was established, led by its president, the art historian Dr Pál Bánszky. Csaba Bereczky and his colleagues founded the Folk Art Association of Zala County, in which he continues to serve as a member of both the Woodcarving Committee and the executive board. As a member of the so-called Nomadic Generation, he also worked as an organiser within his local community. From the second half of the 1970s onwards, several local groups were established in Keszthely and later throughout Zala County.
The Woodcarving Studio of Zala County has been operating in Zalaegerszeg within the County Cultural Centre since 1980, for eight years. Thanks to the operation of the Woodcarving Studio, the number of woodcarvers in Zala has increased spectacularly. In Keszthely, where he lives, he has been running youth and adult woodcarving workshops since 1975, maintained by the Goldmark Károly Cultural Centre. After the completion of the creative house in Keszthely in 2000, the workshops finally gained a permanent home.
In 2019, the adult Woodcarving Circle began its 45th year. Its membership spans a wide age range—from 12 to 85—and their professional backgrounds are varied as well: the group includes skilled workers, college graduates, and members with multiple degrees.
Teaching activities
Under the title “Saját Örömére, Mások Gyönyörűségére” (lit. For His Own Joy, For the Delight of Others), he compiled the life’s work and story of Lajos Soós, Master of Folk Art, in an independent publication in 2007, and of Sándor Pápai, also a Master of Folk Art, in another publication in 2011.
In Keszthely, he ran youth woodcarving workshops and summer camps for 38 years.
Between 1993 and 2013, he led a woodcarving workshop at the István Szabó Primary School in Cserszegtomaj.
In Hévíz, he taught woodcarving as an optional subject at the Bibó Grammar School from 1993 to 1999.
Csaba Bereczky has prepared several professional materials for his students. Among them are a supplementary guide covering the curriculum of bark-work techniques for workshop use, a textbook on the significance of traditional crafts in supporting tourism, and a teaching module compiled for the woodcarving programme of the Keszthelyi Tudás Tér (lit. Keszthely Knowledge Space) project (TÁMOP-3.2.3-08/1).
In 2012, at the request of the Hungarian Heritage House, he contributed to the renewal of the evaluation criteria for Folk Applied Art Works. He developed the general assessment guidelines for objects made from wood, which can be applied to shepherd art, horn and bone work, bark work, carved furniture, wheelwrighting, coach-making, cooperage and tub-making.
At the request of the Association of Folk Art Organisations, he also compiled the section on wood-related materials for the National Rural Development Strategy in 2013.
At the request of the Hungarian Heritage House, he prepared the accredited 120-hour curriculum for Woodcarving Training in 2015. The Folk Applied Arts Department of the Hungarian Heritage House continues to call on him regularly to assess entries submitted in the woodcraft categories.
In past decades, the woodcarvers’ community held conferences three times in Miskolc, later on several occasions in Velem, and subsequently in Székesfehérvár and Szenna. Today, Csaba Bereczky serves as one of the artistic directors of the national woodcarving camps held annually in Zalaegerszeg. The National Woodcarving Conferences and Exhibitions are also held here every two years; in September 2020, interested woodcarvers gathered for the sixth time. At the Keszthely Craft Creative House, he led the regional “Örökségünk a Nyugat-Dunántúlon” (lit. Our Heritage in Western Transdanubia) complex summer camp for the fourth time. Within a joint programme of the Folk Art Section of the Hungarian Academy of Arts, he designed a bell tower for the Carpathian Basin Nativity Scene. Under his guidance, this was built together with his fellow creators from the Keszthely woodcarving circle. Two woodcarvers from Zala carved shepherd figures to accompany the composition.
The charismatic community organiser
In addition to his professional work, Csaba Bereczki’s role as a community organiser and his charismatic personality have also helped to promote communal initiatives. He has played a major part in restoring the rightful place of wood at a time when the world of plastics came under growing criticism.
He emphasised that folk artists also play an important role in home culture, and that they are in a special position, since folk art is not individualistic and therefore can be preserved collectively. For Csaba Bereczky, teaching is just as important as setting an example, for although culture cannot be inherited, it can be passed on to young people—which is why arts education matters so greatly. Everyone is born with a certain calling, but the initial spark must be given in youth. Csaba Bereczky believes that “life entrusts each person with a task. Of course, we do not realise this immediately. I think there is nothing more important we can give our children and students than this: that here, in their homeland, they build the future for the prosperity of all of us and for the survival of our country.” This spirit guides his daily work as he shares his knowledge with fellow creators, helping to ensure the preservation of our traditions.