György Jenő Remsey was born in Nagykörös in 1885, the son of Ferenc Remsey and Johanna Olgyai Molnár. Their father left them at an early age, so their mother raised her children by sewing and making dolls, amid great difficulties. There were four siblings. Gizella became an actress, from her group of friends she became acquainted with Lajos Remsey Jenő Gulácsy and the creators of the Szűz utca studio that defined her early art: Viktor Erdei, János Nagy Balogh and Lajos Fülep. He appeared in Budapest with his politically charged pictures at the exhibition in the Gresham Palace, where the famous Finnish painter Akseli Gallen-Kallela bought some of his works for 200 gold crowns. The young painter used the amount he received for his study trip to Munich and Vienna. Akseli met Aladár Körösfői-Kriesch and Sándor Nagy through Gallen-Kallela. Thanks to this, in 1909 he joined the work of the artists’ colony in Gödöllő, where he arrived with a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture. He was greatly influenced by the artist colony in Gödöllő, especially the spirit of the leading master, Aladár Körösfői-Kriesch. The works created during the initial years in Gödöllő bear witness to a sensitivity to the distorted and the grotesque. In his works, he dealt with the existence of marginalized people. He also participated in the work of the weaving workshop in Gödöllő. In 1912, he married Vilma Frey, who belonged to the artist colony. They settled in Gödöllő, where they raised their four children. He took a significant part in continuing the spirit of the artist colony, taught and supported the young artists working in Gödöllő until his death. An artistic group was organized around György Jenő Remsey in 1919 under the name Gödöllői Művészégyesület. The purpose of the association is: the cultivation and development of Hungarian fine arts, the search for Hungarian talents, and the organization of exhibitions for the members of the association. Together with his younger brother, Zoltán Remsey, who died young, they founded the Association of Spiritual Artists in 1924. The works of spiritual artists were featured in several domestic and foreign exhibitions, and their literary work was also significant. In 1932, they launched their literary and worldview magazine, Fáklya, whose editor-in-chief was György Jenő Remsey. Between the two world wars, he and his wife, Vilma Frey, engaged in home industry carpet weaving in the hope of a better living. The “research” of the pictorial and symbolic meaning of light appeared in his works after the Second World War. Mária G. Merva wrote about him in 2010 that “radiating lights and light pulses appeared in all his paintings from then on, these rays of light were intended to convey inner feelings and spiritual vibrations.” In the catalog prepared for the memorial exhibition of the Gödöllő City Museum, the literary historian also writes about the artist’s poems and plays. After 1945, he and his family achieved success in the field of puppetry. He exhibited in several locations in France. In 1957, the art section of l’Humanité praised the work of György Jenő Remsey in an editorial. In 1964, an exhibition of his collection was organized in the Ernst Museum in Budapest. In 1977, the city of Gödöllő granted the title of honorary citizen to Jenő Remsey, who lives here, carries on the spirit of the Gödöllő artist colony, and embraces young artists. He died in 1980 and is buried in the Dózsa György úti cemetery in Gödöllő. Her family members and descendants were decisive figures in the artistic and cultural life of Gödöllő.
Őriné Cecília Nagy
art historian
Gödöllő City Museum