André Kertész Hall

Audibly, Füles Tóth is very funny. Seemingly, he is a very serious person. He talks a lot and rather fast; his amicability is affable and overpowers all with his mind-blowing verbal rhetoric mumbo-jumbo. Sometimes, however, he’s alone. That’s when he takes photographs. There’s no story-telling there, no anecdotes, no stories. There’s only invention, ideas, professional knowledge, and expelling subservience. For many decades now. Bearing witness are all of his photos still being vivified in my mind, my visual memory. I will never forget his commercial work on “túró” (curd), “casco” (additional car insurance) “Traubisoda” (a classic Hungarian brand of soft drink with grape juice aroma), or the idea of “An experience in bed.” Although, it is impossible to find that kind of curd cheese anywhere today; they only sell some kind of wet, curd-like mass squeezed into plastic bags. Also, I’ve been saving up dimes by deliberately failing to pay the casco. And I have the faintest idea whether Traubi is still available or not, and, well, we can argue about the experience in bed… So, while these things are all evanescent, some of Füles’s ads are not. Also, I have not yet talked about his other photos. You must see them for yourself.

(Károly Kincses, photo museologist, curator)

JÓZSEF TÓTH “FÜLES”

Born on May 25, 1940
1954-58 Attended József Attila Secondary School
1962-70 Reporter at the Hungarian News Agency (MTI) and advertising photographer
1970 Freelance photographer
1978 Photo editor at Gabi-Mami (magazine)
1980 Photo editor at Hungarian Digest
1991 Photo editor at Privát Profit
1992 Creative director at Nõk Lapja (magazine)
1999 Hungarian National Association of Creative Artists (MAOE), President of Board of Directors
2001 Association of Hungarian Photographers, Head of Art Committee
2002 Association of Hungarian Photographers, Member of the Board
2005 Hungarian National Association of Creative Artists, Photo Department, President

AWARDS
1978 Balázs Béla Award
1980 “For Hungarian Advertising” Award
1983 Pécsi József Award
1988 The Meritious Artist of the Hungarian People’s Republic
2001 Life Achievement Award from the Association of Hungarian Photographers
2004 Hungarian National Association of Creative Artists, Grand Prize
2008 The Distinguished Artist of the Hungarian Republic

EXHIBITIONS
1966 MTI photo, Vadas Ernô Hall, Budapest /with István Bara /
1983 Medical University, Debrecen (HU)
1986 Vigadó Gallery, Budapest
1988 Photo Gallery (Fotómûvészeti Galéria), Budapest
2001 Hungarian House of Photography and Vintage Gallery, Budapest
2005 Vintage Gallery, Budapest
2006 Farkas Ferenc Art School, Dunakeszi (HU)
2007 Mecsek Photo Club, Pécs (HU)
2007 Plakátház, Nagykanizsa (HU)
2009 National Office of Cultural Heritage, Budapest

photo: Róbert Kassay