Sam Havadtoy (born August 4, 1952) is a British-born Hungarian-American interior designer, contemporary painter and owner of Gallery 56.

Early life

Havadtoy was born in London from a Romanian-born ethnic Hungarian father and a Hungarian mother. The family returned to their homeland in the spring of 1956, just before the Hungarian Revolution broke out. After the Revolution it became increasingly difficult for the family to go back to the

Western Bloc The Western Bloc, also known as the Capitalist Bloc, the Freedom Bloc, the Free Bloc, and the American Bloc, was an unofficial coalition of countries that were officially allied with the United States during the Cold War (1947–1991). While ...

. It took 14 years for Havadtoy to acquire his British citizenship. Eventually, in 1971 he fled

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 ...

, through the former

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

, back to the United Kingdom, where he met the antique dealer and interior designer Stuart Greet. With Greet's invitation, Havadtoy moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, where he resided with gaps — e.g. he lived four years in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

- from there on until 2000.

New York

In 1978, he founded Samuel Havadtoy Gallery, an

interior design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a Creativity, creative flair, an ...

gallery where he worked as an interior designer until 1981. Havadtoy designed the interiors of the homes of several notable artists, including

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

and

Keith Haring Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an American artist whose pop art emerged from the Graffiti in New York City, New York City graffiti subculture of the 1980s. His animated imagery has "become a widely recognized visual l ...

. In 1981, Havadtoy turned to New York's artistic scene, where he became close friends with notable artists such as Haring,

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...

, George Condo, Donald Baechler, and

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono (, usually spelled in katakana as ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up in Tokyo and moved to New York ...

, with whom Havadtoy had begun a relationship in 1978, becoming her companion for over twenty years until 2001. Havadtoy inspired and contributed to many of Keith Haring's late works, for example in the making of his ''Altarpiece: The Life of Christ'' (1990)

triptych A triptych ( ) is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided into three sections, or three carved panels that are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all m ...

. Havadtoy started painting at a young age, just after moving to New York, but acquired his unmistakable style during the 1980s. He mainly uses oil, acrylic, and mixed techniques for his paintings. Havadtoy's works reflect subtle blends of different cultures, mostly Middle European and American

popular culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of cultural practice, practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art

f. pop art F is the sixth letter of the Latin alphabet. F may also refer to: Science and technology Mathematics * F or f, the number 15 (number), 15 in hexadecimal and higher positional systems * ''p'F'q'', the hypergeometric function * F-distributi ...

or mass art, sometimes contraste ...

Gallery 56

In the second half of the 80s, due to the gradually dissolving

Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc (Combloc), the Socialist Bloc, the Workers Bloc, and the Soviet Bloc, was an unofficial coalition of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were a ...

, Havadtoy travelled increasingly to Hungary. In 1992, he founded Gallery 56, which became significant in the Hungarian contemporary art scene, among others, by exposing important artists who were considered rarities at the time. The gallery focused mainly on displaying American artists, for example Haring, Warhol, Agnes Martin, Cindy Sherman, Kiki Smith,

Robert Mapplethorpe Robert Michael Mapplethorpe ( ; November 4, 1946 – March 9, 1989) was an American photographer, best known for his black-and-white photographs. His work featured an array of subjects, including celebrity portraits, male and female Nude (art), n ...

, Ross Bleckner, Donald Sultan, Donald Baechler. Some of the artists also participated personally on the vernissages. Living classics of Hungarian contemporary art were also represented and giant talents such as,

László Moholy-Nagy László Moholy-Nagy (; ; born László Weisz; July 20, 1895 – November 24, 1946) was a Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian painter and photographer as well as a professor in the Bauhaus school. He was highly influenced by Constructivism (art), con ...

. The name of the gallery comes from Yoko Ono, who alluded to the approaching revolution in the artworld. In 2000, Havadtoy relocated to Europe and is currently living in Hungary and

Liguria Liguria (; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is roughly coextensive with ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Exhibitions

* Palazzo Lomellino in Genoa * Tel Aviv Museum of Art * Hungarian National Theatre * Ermanno Tedeschi Gallery in Rome * Memoart Gallery * B55 Gallery * Fondazione Mudima in Milan
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References

External links

Official web site

The Budapest Times

Antropos - online cultural magazine
– in Hungarian {{DEFAULTSORT:Havadtoy, Sam 1952 births American contemporary painters Pop artists American postmodern artists Hungarian painters 20th-century American painters American male painters 21st-century American painters Hungarian designers American interior designers Living people 20th-century American male artists