My name is Zoltán Bagyinszki (1954, Capricorn). I live in Gyula, Hungary. The scenes of my include Budapest, Kazincbarcika, Galgaguta, Miskolc, Balatonlelle, Eberswalde (Germany), Gyula and the regions of the Carpathian Basin, where I return from time to time.
The love of geography, history, architecture, and travelling and the connection to human communities has determined all my life. Due to this, I got my degree in education, adult education, and later in cultural management in Szeged. Recently I work at the Town Hall in the field of general education. In my free time I contribute to the work of BZorg Stúdió. The gallery includes my Introducing photographs and Self-portraits. I am a member of the Székely Aladár Photo Club in Gyula, the Budapest Conservation Association, the Aesculap Photo Club in Budapest and also the Centuries of Gyula Foundation. In 1998, the Association of Hungarian Historical Families offered me honorary membership.
I have been using products of Pentax, Fuji and Nikon in my work, while the models of Citroen allow me to overcome distances.
I started taking photographs actively 15 years ago, and have published in 18 subjects. I have had nearly 100 exhibitions in Budapest and certain major towns of Hungary, as well as in Romania (Temesvár, Gyergyószentmiklós, Nagybánya), Belgium, Slovakia, Yugoslavia, France, the US and Poland. In the past decades I have organised and held hundreds of lectures on the castle-architecture and the architectural heritage of Hungary. My latest exhibition, entitled “Attracted by Zsolnay roofs – The fifth facade in the turn of the century”, is on display in the town of Pécs.
I have finished quite a busy Millennium and started another one, since I had the chance to be the author/co-author of 30 books. In 2009, I was awarded with the Wlassics Gyula Prize by the Minister of Culture as an appreciation to my decade-long activity in general education. My first book on Hungarian castles was published in 1998 (Publi-CITY “1492″ Kiadó). My second album with the title of “Castles and Palaces in Historical Hungary” (Mikes Kiadó) also presented the Hungarian castles. Throughout the years 2001-2004 Kossuth Kiadó published a series of books (in six volumes with about 2000 coloured photographs) entitled “Hungarian Architecture” that contains the most beautiful artworks of Hungarian architecture, introducing the area of historical Hungary. Meanwhile, a castle-hotel catalogue was also published by Hotel Infó Ltd. entitled “Guidebook of Békés County”, and some other illustrated albums of tourism, such as “Hévíz”, “Kazincbarcika”, “Hajdú-Bihar County” (Tóth Kiadó), “Gyula, Then and Now Vol. I-II.” (Gyulai Évszázadok Alapítvány), together with many representative calendars and wall calendars as well. An illustrated album with the title of “Texas, the Modern Wild West” (Euro-Konzorcium Ltd.) is a unique piece of this list. After the success of “A Hundred Hungarian Castles” ‘s publication (Tóth Kiadó), an album entitled “A Hundred Hungarian Castles and Fortresses” (Tóth Kiadó) was also released. The “Bank Architecture in Hungary” album, edited by Britstol 94 Ltd., was presented at Christmas, 2005 with the comments of János Gerle and György Szegő. The musical-historical DVD that represents the castle of Gyula was finished in 2006. Recently, I am working on the photographs of 4 books, in which we intend to introduce Transylvania (including towns, castles, churches and natural beauties) with the support of Tóth Kiadó. In November 2008, two albums on architecture – which met a long-felt want – were published thanks to my co-authors at Tóth Kiadó. The album with the title of “Secession of the Great Plain” presents the secessionist architecture of the Great Plain of Hungary, while the other is entitled “Renaissance Architecture in the Historical Hungary”. The first part of Transylvania series, entitled Transylvanian Churches, was published at the end of 2010. Hungarian Castles and Natural Beauties of Transylvania, the second and third parts of Transylvania series were published at the end of 2011.
Precious Towns of Transylvania, the fourth and also final part of Transylvania series was published in this April, 2012. In the years 2011 and 2012, the pictures for the guidebook of Hungarian secessionist architecture with thousands of photos from the Historical Hungary were made to complete the collection I already have. The book was published by Corvina kiadó, and was written and edited by Béla Bede. We are to represent 225 buildings and to provide readers with an extraordinary publication.
A real unique exhibition was on display around Christmas; the presentation of Zsolnay majolica roofs in Budapest was the first venue of travelling exhibition. Pictures in the Gallery.
It is possible that our photographer generation will be kept on, since my two upgrowing grandchildren, Luca and Nimród are already interested in the subject…
In 2011, I gave a popular and successful course at the Academy of Pensioners, at the college of Gyula. Nearly 30 participants took part in the lectures on photography and travelling for six months, the project was finished with an exhibition of the participants.
The pictures were presented in many venues of Hungary.
The history, architecture, art and natural beauties of Hungary provides me with an abundant amount of themes – and through my photographs I would like to represent them to you (hoping they make other people set out as well…)
I wish to say thank you to my wife, sons, family and friends for their encouragement, help, material and moral support.
Zoltán Bagyinszki, editor-photographer