István Irsai (later Pesach Ir-Shay, he, פסח ער-שי , b. 1896 – d. 1968) was a Hungarian-born Israeli architect and graphic designer.
Early life
István Irsai was born in 1896 in
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
,
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...
.
He learned how to play the violin as a child.
He served in the
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army (, literally "Ground Forces of the Austro-Hungarians"; , literally "Imperial and Royal Army") was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint arm ...
during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
He subsequently studied architecture at the
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
The Budapest University of Technology and Economics ( hu, Budapesti Műszaki és Gazdaságtudományi Egyetem or in short ), official abbreviation BME, is the most significant university of technology in Hungary and is considered the world's olde ...
.
Adult life
Irsai started his career as an architect and graphic designer in Budapest.
He lived in
Mandate Palestine
Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 i ...
from 1925 to 1929, when he designed the Hebrew font Haim.
During that time, he also designed stage sets in theatres as well as houses in the
Bauhaus
The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 20 ...
architectural style.
He returned to Hungary in 1929, where he worked as a graphic designer until 1944.
Irsai was deported to the
Bergen-Belsen concentration camp
Bergen-Belsen , or Belsen, was a Nazi concentration camp in what is today Lower Saxony in northern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle. Originally established as a prisoner of war camp, in 1943, parts of it became a concentra ...
in 1944, but he managed to escape on the
Kastner train
The Kastner train consisted of 35 cattle wagons that left Budapest on 30 June 1944, during the German occupation of Hungary, carrying over 1,600 Jews temporarily to Bergen-Belsen and safety in Switzerland after large ransom paid by Swiss Orthodo ...
.
He emigrated to Israel, where he was a graphic designer.
He designed posters for
Modiano and
Tungsram
Tungsram was a manufacturing company located in Hungary and known for their light bulbs and electronics. Established in Újpest (today part of Budapest, Hungary) in 1896, it initially produced telephones, wires and switchboards. The name "Tungsra ...
, among other companies.
He also designed Zionist-themed posters to promote the state of Israel.
Death
Irsai died in 1968 in Israel.
Further reading
*
References
1896 births
1968 deaths
Architects from Budapest
People from Tel Aviv
Hungarian people of World War I
Hungarian emigrants to Israel
Budapest University of Technology and Economics alumni
Bergen-Belsen concentration camp survivors
Architects in Mandatory Palestine
Israeli architects
Israeli graphic designers
Hungarian Jews
Kastner train
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