Márton Izsák
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Márton Izsák (12 April 1913 – 1 February 2004) was a prolific
Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
n Jewish sculptor of Hungarian descent, noted personality and recipient of the honorary citizenship award from the city of
Târgu Mureș Târgu Mureș (, ; ; German language, German: ''Neumarkt am Mieresch'') is the seat of Mureș County in the historical region of Transylvania, Romania. It is the list of cities and towns in Romania, 16th-largest city in Romania, with 116,033 ...
, Romania. The son of Jakab Izsák (a government official, professional soldier, and eventual store owner), by arranged marriage to Vilma Friedmann, Márton was born in Galócás (now Gălăuțaș,
Harghita County Harghita County (, and , ) is a county () in the center of Romania, in eastern Transylvania, with the county seat at Miercurea Ciuc. Demographics 2002 census In 2002, Harghita County had a population of 326,222 and a population density of ...
). After his family home in
Gheorgheni Gheorgheni (; ) is a Municipiu, city in Harghita County, Romania, with a population of 15,844, as of 2021. It lies in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania. The city administers four villages: Covacipeter (''Kovács ...
burned down in
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, his family spent some years in Petelea, before eventually settling down in Târgu Mureș. After moving to the city, he spent some time apprenticing in furniture making under an artist named Géza Rózsa, who noted Márton's artistic talent. At the artist's behest, Márton's father enrolled him in an arts program, and he spent the next 3 years learning how to carve at the Industrial High School in Târgu Mureș. Before finishing, he was invited by Rózsa to complete high school, and then continue to an arts degree, at the College of Applied Arts in
Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
, graduating (notably early for his age) in 1933. While at the college, he studied under notable sculptors and . In the late 1930s he returned home to Târgu Mureș, where he gained recognition and eventually presented his works in personal exhibitions in 1936 and in 1937. He remained there until his deportation at the beginning of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, despite his fathers' World War I medals, which should have afforded some protection. In 1940, as a result of the
Second Vienna Award The Second Vienna Award was the second of two territorial disputes that were arbitrated by Nazi Germany and the Kingdom of Italy. On 30 August 1940, they assigned the territory of Northern Transylvania, including all of Maramureș and part of Cri ...
,
Northern Transylvania Northern Transylvania (, ) was the region of the Kingdom of Romania that during World War II, as a consequence of the August 1940 territorial agreement known as the Second Vienna Award, became part of the Kingdom of Hungary (1920-1946), Kingdom ...
(including Târgu Mureș) was annexed by
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much 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 south, Croatia and ...
. During the war, Izsák lost 25 relatives, including his mother, in the
Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
death camps Nazi Germany used six extermination camps (), also called death camps (), or killing centers (), in Central Europe, primarily in occupied Poland, during World War II to systematically murder over 2.7 million peoplemostly Jewsin the Holocau ...
of the Holocaust. After Romanian and Soviet troops regained control of the region in Fall 1944, he returned to the city from
labor camp A labor camp (or labour camp, see British and American spelling differences, spelling differences) or work camp is a detention facility where inmates are unfree labour, forced to engage in penal labor as a form of punishment. Labor camps have ...
. He worked as an instructor and eventually art director at the acclaimed in Târgu Mureș, 1945 to 1974. During his time at the art school, he produced many notable works, including several collaborations with . His Monument to the Deportees, erected in Dej in front of the local Orthodox synagogue is one of the earliest
Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
memorials to be erected in Europe, and memorializes 7,000 Jews relocated to the nearby Dej ghetto and eventually deported and killed at
Auschwitz-Birkenau Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...
. Many of his other works still are on display in several cities, but primarily in Târgu Mureș – including the notable "Two Bolyai" in Bolyai Square in Târgu Mureș. The mysterious overnight removal, in 1962 of his statue of
Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...
, erected just five years earlier in 1957, is remembered as signifying the metaphorical end of the
Soviet occupation of Romania The Soviet occupation of Romania refers to the period from 1944 to August 1958, during which the Soviet Union maintained a significant military presence in Socialist Republic of Romania, Romania. The fate of the territories held by Romania after 1 ...
during
De-Stalinization in Romania The De-Stalinization in Romania was a process of removing Stalinist policies and Stalin's cult of personality between 1956 and 1965. Implemented by Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, it included the marginalization of Stalinists such as Ana Pauker and a larg ...
. In 2003, a public Holocaust memorial was erected in Târgu Mureș, based on a cast and plans originally produced for the city of Dej in 1947. Shortly before his death, he was ordained as ' (Honorary Citizen, an order recognizing civic contribution) for the city.


Mysterious disappearance of the Stalin statue in 1962

According to local tales, the Târgu Mureș statue was not officially destroyed — it simply disappeared overnight, without indication of where it went or what was done with it. All this occurred against a background of significant political upheaval, including the start and end of the
Magyar Autonomous Region The Magyar Autonomous Region (1952–1960) (; ) and Mureș-Magyar Autonomous Region (1960–1968) were autonomous Regions of the People's Republic of Romania, regions in the Romanian People's Republic (later the Socialist Republic of Romania). H ...
, the de-Stalinization process, and Romania's gradual distancing from the
Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a Collective security#Collective defense, collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Polish People's Republic, Poland, between the Sovi ...
. The event has entered public folklore, and to this day continues to be a subject of conversation and the source of several urban myths — for example, the popular idea that the statue was originally meant to contain a library in its base (which is also a myth related to the
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
statue), or that the library was actually constructed — still currently exists. Some claim that the statue is still stored inside.


Selected works

His works include the following: * Monument to the Deportees (Bronze, 1947, Dej) * Wedding customs (relief, 1951,
Sfântu Gheorghe Sfântu Gheorghe (; or ''Szentgyörgy'' ; ; English lit.: ''Saint George'') is a city that serves as the seat of Covasna County in Transylvania, Romania. Located in the central part of the country, it lies on the Olt River in a valley between ...
, theater façade) *
Nicolae Bălcescu Nicolae Bălcescu () (29 June 181929 November 1852) was a Romanian Wallachian soldier, historian, journalist, and leader of the 1848 Wallachian Revolution. Early life Born in Bucharest to a family of low-ranking nobility, he used his mother ...
(bust, in Sfântu Gheorghe) *
István Szentgyörgyi István Szentgyörgyi (1881 - 1938) was a Hungarians, Hungarian sculptor. His work exemplified neo-classicism. Fourteen of his statues are in the possession of the Hungarian National Gallery and a copy of "Tip Catting" can be found in the Museum ...
(1953, Târgu Mureș, in front of the College of Theater) *
Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...
(1955, Târgu Mureș with ; demolished in 1962) * Farkas Bolyai and
János Bolyai János Bolyai (; ; 15 December 1802 – 27 January 1860) or Johann Bolyai, was a Hungarian mathematician who developed absolute geometry—a geometry that includes both Euclidean geometry and hyperbolic geometry. The discovery of a consist ...
(also known as the Two Bolyais Statue), in front of the in Târgu Mureș, with István Csorvássy) * "Unknown Soldier Monument" (bronze, 1963 to 1964, Târgu Mureș, War Memorial, Main Square, with István Csorvássy) * The poet (20 February 1968, in front of the Salamon Ernő High School,
Gheorgheni Gheorgheni (; ) is a Municipiu, city in Harghita County, Romania, with a population of 15,844, as of 2021. It lies in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania. The city administers four villages: Covacipeter (''Kovács ...
)"Salamon Ernő statue"
''statuemap.com''. Retrieved 21 September 2019
*
Mihai Eminescu Mihai Eminescu (; born Mihail Eminovici; 15 January 1850 – 15 June 1889) was a Romanians, Romanian Romanticism, Romantic poet, novelist, and journalist from Moldavia, generally regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Emin ...
(1969, 1989 Târgu Mureș) * Andor Bernath (1974, Saint John the Baptist Church, Târgu Mureș) *
Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hunga ...
(bust, 1980, Târgu Mureș) *
George Enescu George Enescu (; – 4 May 1955), known in France as Georges Enesco, was a Romanians, Romanian composer, violinist, pianist, conductor, teacher and statesman. He is regarded as one of the greatest musicians in Romanian history. Biography En ...
statue composition (1983, Târgu Mureș) * Holocaust Memorial (2003, Târgu Mureș)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Izsak, Marton 1913 births 2004 deaths People from Harghita County Romanian Jews Romanian people of Hungarian-Jewish descent Transylvanian Jews Jewish Romanian sculptors Jewish Hungarian sculptors 20th-century Romanian sculptors 20th-century Hungarian sculptors Heads of schools in Romania Forced labourers under German rule during World War II