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ICONS / HERITAGE OF HUNGARY  (online at Icons of Europe since 2002)
Hungary's national identity and values build on its history and cultural heritage
Franz Liszt (1811-1886) was born in Raiding, Hungary.   Liszt studied and played at Vienna and Paris, and toured widely in Europe as a virtuoso pianist.   He visited Brussels in 1841 and 1842.  His works include 12 symphonic poems, Masses, two symphonies, and a large number of piano pieces (he created the solo piano recital).  Image provided by Digital Vista Inc., United States. Mihály Munkácsy (1844-1900) was born in Hungary.  He studied in Vienna and Munich, before he in 1871 moved to Paris for good.  Munkácsy managed to unite pathos of historic painting with genre pictures of folk life.  Portraits of Franz Liszt at old age (see below) and Bishop Haynald clearly illustrate his sense of colours and character portrayal. Joseph Pulitzer (1847–1911) was born in Makó, Hungary.  In 1864, he emigrated and joined the U.S. army and became later a reporter in St. Louis.  Pulitzer successfully acquired and revitalizied old newspapers.  He started a fund to assemble the Statue of Liberty.  He endowed the Columbia University School of Journalism, and established, in his will, annual Pulitzer Prizes in the fields of literature, drama, history, music, and journalism. Béla Bartók (1881-1945) was born in Nagyszentmiklós, Hungary.  Bartók studied in Pressburg and at the Budapest Academy of Music, then toured widely as a pianist.  His works include operas, orchestral music, chamber music, songs, choruses, and folksong arrangements.  Photo provided by W.W. Norton & Company, New York. George Charles de Hevesy (1885–1966) was born in Budapest.  In 1923 he discovered, with the Dutch physicist Dirk Coster, the element hafnium at Copenhagen (Hafnia being the Latin name for the city).  He worked professor at Stockholm during World War II.  He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1943 for his work on isotopic tracer techniques.  Photo provided by The Nobel Foundation. Albert von Szent-Györgyi Nagyrapolt (1893–1986) was born in Budapest.  He emigrated to the USA and became scientific director of the National Foundation for Cancer Research, MA (1975).  He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine 1937 for his work on the function of organic compounds (especially vitamin C) within cells.  Photo provided by The Nobel Foundation. Eugene Wigner (1902–1995) was born in Budapest.  He studied at Berlin Technische Hochschule and became a U.S. citizen in 1937.  He was professor of mathematical physics at Princeton and is known for his many contributions to the theory of nuclear physics, including the law of conservation of parity.  He shared the Nobel Prize in Physics 1963.  Photo provided by The Nobel Foundation. John Harsányi was born in Budapest in 1920.  He moved to the Unted States in 1956, where he worked at Stanford and Yale universities and later at the University of California.  Harsányi shared the Nobel Prize in Economics 1994 for his contribution to the analysis of equilibria in the theory of non-co-operative games.  Photo provided by The Nobel Foundation.
Franz Liszt
1811-1886
Mihály Munkácsy
1844-1900
Joseph Pulitzer
1847-1911
Béla Bartók
1881-1945
George de Hevesy
1885-1966
von Szent-Györgyi
1893-1986)
Eugene Wigner
1902-1995
John Harsányi
1920-2000

Also with a worldwide impact
Business and entertainment
George Soros, born 1930 in Budapest.  He moved to the United States in 1956, where he set up the Quantum Fund, generally recognized as one of the most successful investment funds ever.  Soros has been active as a philanthropist since 1979.  Soros has received honorary degrees from British, Hungarian, Italian and  U.S. institutions in recognition of his efforts to promote open societies throughout the world.  Photo provided by Soros.org. William Fox (1879–1952) was born in Hungary as Wilhelm Fried.  He became an American motion-picture executive and created in 1935 "20th Century Fox" by merging his own film company with "20th Century Pictures". Michael Curtiz (1888–1962) was born in Budapest as Mihaly Kertész.  A film actor and director, he moved to Hollywood in 1926, where he made some 125 films including the Oscar-winning "Casablanca". Zsa Zsa Gabor was born 1918 in Budapest.  She was Miss Hungary in 1936 and moved to the United States in 1941.  She is famous more for her many husbands and run-ins with the law than for her acting career. Tony Curtis, born 1925 in New York, the son of a Hungarian immigrant (who had been an amateur actor in Budapest).  He has played in many films including "Trapeze" and "Some Like It Hot".
William Fox M. Curtiz:
(Casablanca)
Zsa Zsa
Gabor
Tony
Curtis
George Soros, born 1930 in Budapest.
A successful investor, he is also a global
philanthropist.

Icons of Europe initiatives
Concerts: Liszt
| Bartók+Kodály | China
Online portal: Liszt Year 2011
Research: Liszt and Chopin + Wagner


Liszt played by
Cecilia Jorgensen

Selected by Icons of Europe asbl, the above Icons and institutions are eclectic examples of the cultural heritage and diversity of this country.   The selection does not necessarily represent a balanced view of the rich culture of the country.  We welcome suggestions to enhance the selection.