Frank Szirmay (1916–1985) was a Hungarian New Zealand sculptor. In 1956 Szirmay fled the Hungarian revolt with his family, and they emigrated to New Zealand. Szirmay's step-daughter is well-known sculptor Marté Szirmay. Young Nick Statue Gisborne

Biography

Szirmay began his career as a painter, but in the 1970s gained a national reputation as a sculptor of bronze figures in the Academic Realist tradition. Szirmay taught art, and one of his most well-known pupils was Les Gibbard. Szirmay's figurative sculptural style can be seen in a number of notable public commissions around New Zealand.

Notable works

''Young Nick''

''Young Nick'' - bronze figure of Nicholas Young, unveiled in 1969 by

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

Sir Arthur Porritt at Churchill Park on

Waikanae Beach Waikanae (, ) is a town on the Kapiti Coast, 60 kilometres north of the Wellington CBD. The name is a Māori word meaning "waters" (''wai'') "of the grey mullet". The town lies between Paraparaumu, eight kilometres to the southwest, and Ōtak ...

, Gisborne as part of the Cook Bicentenary Celebrations, which commemorated the first sighting of New Zealand on

James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...

's voyage in 1769. The statue was gifted by the

New Zealand Insurance Company NZI or New Zealand Insurance is a major insurance company in New Zealand. NZI was formed in Auckland by 1859 as the New Zealand Insurance Company and is one of New Zealand's largest and longest-serving fire and general insurance brands. In a ...

. In 1988 the statue was moved to the mouth of the Tūranganui River, and is now positioned so that Young Nick points to

Young Nick's Head Young Nick's Head is a headland at the southern end of Poverty Bay in New Zealand's North Island. The area is the landing place of the Horouta and Te Ikaroa-a-Rauru waka (canoe), waka which carried Māori people, Māori settlers to the region aroun ...

across the bay.

''Tangaroa''

''Tangaroa'' - bronze figure of

Tangaroa Tangaroa (Takaroa in the South Island) is the great of the sea, lakes, rivers, and creatures that live within them, especially fish, in Māori mythology. As Tangaroa-whakamau-tai he exercises control over the tides. He is sometimes depicted as ...

, Māori God of the sea, installed in 1969. The status is situated at the entrance to

Tauranga Harbour Tauranga Harbour is the natural tidal harbour that surrounds Tauranga CBD and the Mount Maunganui area of Tauranga, New Zealand, and which flows into the Pacific Ocean at Mount Maunganui. The harbour is effectively two flooded river systems separ ...

. Tangaroa is portrayed as a crouching warrior grasping a

taiaha A taiaha () is a traditional weapon of the Māori of New Zealand; a close-quarters staff weapon made from either wood or whalebone, and used for short, sharp strikes or stabbing thrusts with efficient footwork on the part of the wielder. Taiaha a ...

, and in recent years was moved to face harbour visitors. Spirit of Napier, Napier, New Zealand

''The Spirit of Napier''

''The Spirit of Napier'' - bronze figure of a slender 'golden girl', with arms upraised on a high column. This work was installed in 1971 and memorialises Napier's rebirth after the devastating earthquake of 1931. The statue was gifted to the city by the late Dr Thomas Gilray, a former superintendent of the Napier Hospital. In 2011 it was taken down by the Napier Council to be repaired after bronze rot was discovered.

''The Discovery of New Zealand Chess Set''

Another notable commission was a chess set, titled ''The Discovery of New Zealand Chess Set'', which depicts a peaceful meeting between Māori and Europeans, and was another work commissioned to commemorate the Cook Bicentenary. This work is held in the collection of

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. ''Te Papa Tongarewa'' translates literally to "container of treasures" or in full "container of treasured things and people that spring fr ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Szirmay, Frank 1916 births 1985 deaths New Zealand artists Hungarian emigrants to New Zealand