The original 50 cm statuette of the ''Little Princess'' (Kiskirálylány) Statue sitting on the railings of the Danube promenade 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 ...
was created by
László Marton (1925–2008)
Munkácsy- and
Kossuth Prize
The Kossuth Prize ( hu, Kossuth-díj) is a state-sponsored award in Hungary, named after the Hungarian politician and revolutionist Lajos Kossuth. The Prize was established in 1948 (on occasion of the centenary of the March 15th revolution, the ...
-winning sculptor in 1972.
The artist was inspired by his eldest daughter born from his first marriage. She often played in the Tabán wearing a princess costume and a crown made out of newspaper by her father, and at home as well, pretending her bathrobes were a mantle. This image prompted her father, the artist in the creation of this little statue.
László Marton writes: "''Évike'' born from my first marriage, at the age of 5, was playing in a little princess costume in the Tabán playground. When I saw it, I immediately had the subject matter. Titled "Little Princess" I sculpted it as well. It was placed in an elegant location on the Danube promenade. Became a symbol of Budapest."
[Quote from László Marton's autobiographical book "My Walk
of Life".]
A larger size copy of this statue was placed on the Danube promenade in 1990, and a second copy in
Tapolca, the artist's hometown. A copy of the same statue stands in
Japan too – donated by the artist – in front of the
Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space cultural center's concert hall. The original statuette (1972) is owned by
Hungarian National Gallery
The Hungarian National Gallery (also known as Magyar Nemzeti Galéria), was established in 1957 as the national art museum. It is located in Buda Castle in Budapest, Hungary. Its collections cover Hungarian art in all genres, including the works ...
.
References
Webpage:
"Memory of my Father", http://www.littleprincessstatue.com
External links
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{{Budapest
1972 sculptures
1972 in Hungary
Statues in Hungary
Culture in Budapest
Tourist attractions in Budapest
Outdoor sculptures in Hungary
Sculptures of children in Hungary