László Szlávics Jr.
A Hungarian sculptor who pushes the ancient art of medal-making into bold, three-dimensional, and tactile new forms.
Born 1959 (age 67)·Hungarian artist and sculptor·Birthday: August 11·Baby Boomers
Biography
László Szlávics Jr. works in a medium often associated with tradition and formality, yet his creations are anything but conventional. As a medallic artist and sculptor, he treats the coin or plaque not as a flat canvas but as a miniature landscape to be excavated, layered, and dramatically shaped. His pieces break free from the round edge, incorporating mixed metals, deep relief, and abstract forms that demand to be touched and viewed from multiple angles. This approach has reinvigorated Hungarian medallic art, moving it from commemoration into the realm of contemporary abstract sculpture. Szlávics's work, while deeply respected in numismatic circles, transcends them; his sculptures and large-scale reliefs explore themes of time, nature, and human consciousness with a modern, geometric vocabulary. He is an artist driven by material innovation, constantly testing the physical limits of metal to find new expressive possibilities on a small, intimate scale.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
László was born in 1959, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When László Was Born
The biggest hits of 1959
#1 Movie
Ben-Hur
Best Picture
Ben-Hur
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
László's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1959Born
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1964Started school
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1972Became a teenager
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1975Could drive
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1977Could vote
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Turned 21
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1989Turned 30
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 40
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 50
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 60
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 67 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Revolutionized Hungarian medallic art by introducing extreme high relief, fragmented forms, and mixed materials.
- Has won numerous awards at the Hungarian Medal Art Biennale and the International Art Medal Federation (FIDEM) congresses.
- His work is held in major collections including the Hungarian National Museum and the British Museum.
Did You Know?
He often uses the abbreviation 'ifj.' (for 'ifjabb', meaning 'junior') in his signature to distinguish himself from his father, also an artist.
He frequently employs a technique of layering and bonding different colored metals like silver, copper, and brass.
Beyond medals, he creates larger sculptural works and has designed commemorative coins for the Hungarian Mint.
“I carve into metal to find the hidden depth of a flat surface.”
