Péter Pócs

Péter Pócs (born 14 September 1950) is a Hungarian graphic designer and poster artist.

Life Pócs was born in Pécs on 14 September 1950. He studied at the Art School of Pécs to become a metalworker and earned his high school diploma there in 1971. He began working as a graphic designer in 1972, creating theatre, exhibition and festival posters, and broadening his repertoire with political and social ones from 1989. His sole commercial client was cheese salesman, Tamás T. Nagy, and his mentors were Henryk Tomaszewski, Waldemar Świerzy and György Konecsni. Pócs later earned his university diploma in product design at the University of West Hungary in 2010. His posters of unique, molded, painted clay structures are unmistakable. He often participates in international poster symposiums and regularly shows his works at international exhibitions, biennials and triennials. He founded DOPP Artist Group in 1987, and has been working in his studio, POSTER'V Design since 1991. He also co-founded the Hungarian Poster Association in 2004, of which he was the first president until leaving, then launched his "Hungarian Poster Loneliness Association" in 2008, of which he is a "forever member".

Works

Solo exhibitions 1985 – Duna Gallery, Budapest 1987 – Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam 1987 – Academy of Fine Art, Stuttgart 1987 – Dorottya Street Exhibition Space, Budapest 1987 – Poster Museum, (DOPP), Lahti (SF) 1988 – Town Hall Gallery, Castelmoron-d'Albret 1989 – Burg Gallery, Halle 1990 – Pécs Gallery, Pécs 1990 – Vigadó Gallery, Budapest 1992 – La Grange de Dorigny, Lausanne 1992 – Obenbare Bibliothek, Amsterdam 1994 – Frontenac Gallery, Montreal 1994 – Jan Koniarek Gallery, Trnava 1994 – Piccolo Teatro Perempruner, Turin 1994 – Painters' Hall, Sopron 1995 – House of Art, Szekszárd 1996 – Knights' Hall of Gyula Castle, Gyula 1996 – Ginza Graphic Art Gallery (DOPP), Tokyo 1997 – Haus Ungarn, Berlin 1997 – City Cultural Center, Szolnok 1997 – György Konecsni Museum, Kiskunmajsa 1998 – Palace of Culture, Târgu Mureș 1999 – Pod Jaszczurami, Kraków 2000 – Haus Ungarn, Prague 2000 – PSVMK Gallery, Győr 2001 – Town Gallery, Štúrovo 2001 – Komédium Theater, Budapest 2001 – Danish Poster Museum, Aarhus 2001 – Casa del Poeta, Mexico City 2002 – Polish Institute, Budapest 2002 – Universidad La Salle DF, Mexico City 2002 – Casa de Cultura del Ayuntamiento Metepec, Edo. de Mexico 2002 – Universidad Autónoma de Guanajuato, Guanajuato 2003 – Hegyvidéki Contemporary Gallery, Budapest 2003 – Søndermølle, Viborg 2003 – Salas del exConvento del Carmen, Guadalajara 2003 – Instituto de Artes Plásticas U.V., Xalapa 2003 – Town Hall Gallery, Castelmoron d'Albret 2003 – The Croat Theater, Pécs 2004 – Vaerket, Randers 2004 – Gallery "Maysterina", Kyiv 2006 – Budapest Gallery, Budapest 2006 – University Gallery, Xalapa 2009 – Town Hall (Ducki, Orosz, Pócs), Aarhus 2009 – Stifts Museum (Ducki, Orosz, Pócs), Viborg 2011 – Museion No. 1, Budapest 2013 – Gheorghe Sincai County Library, Oradea 2014 – National Gallery of Arts, Tirana 2014 – 13th International Image Festival, Manizales 2016 – National Gallery of Kosovo, Pristina 2022 – Fészek Gallery, Budapest 2023 – National Art Academy, Sofia 2023 – National Art Academy, Burgas 2024 - "Átokplakátok", FUGA, Budapest 2024 - "Pócs plakátok", ARTE Gallery and Auction House, Budapest 2024 - "Pócs Plakátok", University of Rzeszow 2025 - Pócs 75, Fernando Violches Galéria, Xalapa

Workshops, talks

1987 – Academy of Fine Art, Stuttgart 2001 – Casa del Poeta, Mexico City 2002 – San Luis Potosí University – Facultad de Hábitat, San Luis Potosí 2002 – 20th International Graphic Arts Biennial, Brno 2002 – Moholy-Nagy University, Budapest 2003 – ITEMS, Guadalajara 2003 – Académico, Fac. de Artes Plásticas, Xalapa 2004 – ESAG, Paris 2009 – Art Academy, Osaka 2010 – University of West-Hungary, Sopron 2011 – School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Helsinki 2013 – Academy of Arts, Sofia 2014 – National Gallery of Arts, Tirana 2015 – Skopje Poster Festival, Skopje 2023 – National Art Academy, Sofia 2023 – National Art Academy, Burgas 2023 – College of National Arts, Plovdiv 2024 - Poster Loneliness, MTA 197th Assembly of MTA, Budapest 2024 - Hungarian Poster Loneliness Association, University of Rzeszow 2025 - Hungarian Poster Loneliness Association, Instituto de Artes Plásticas, Xalapa

Jury member

1994 – 2nd International Poster Triennial, Trnava 2002 – XX. International Graphics Biennial, Brno 2002 – International Poster Biennial, Mexico City 2003 – International Theater Poster Biennial, Rzeszów 2004 – ESAG, Paris 2011 – XVIII. International Poster Biennial, Lahti 2013 – 7th International Triennial of Stage Poster, Sofia (BG) 2015 – Skopje Poster Festival, Skopje 2021 – I. International Poster Art Biennial, Seoul 2024 - 19th International Biennale of Theatre Poster Rzeszów

Awards 1982 – 1st prize, Best Posters of the Year, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest 1983 – Gold Medal, International Movie Poster Exhibition, Chicago 1983 – Award of Excellence, Best Posters of the Year, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest 1983 – Studio Award, FKS, Ernst Museum, Budapest 1984 – Youth Award, Intergrafik '84, Berlin 1984 – Award of Excellence, Best Posters of the Year, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest 1984 – Studio Award, FKS, Ernst Museum, Budapest 1984 – Award, County Graphics Exhibition, Kecskemét 1984 – 2nd prize, New Print, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest 1985 – Award of Excellence, Best Posters of the Year, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest 1986 – Bronze medal, International Poster Biennial, Brno 1986 – Main Award, Best Posters of the Year, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest 1986 – Special award, The Hollywood Reporter, International Movie Poster Exhibition, Hollywood 1986 – Award of Excellence, Best Posters of the Year, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest 1987 – Special Award, The Hollywood Reporter, International Movie Poster Exhibition, Hollywood 1988 – Silver medal, The Art Directors Club Winners 67th Annual Awards and 2nd Annual International Exhibition, New York City 1988 – Main Award, Best Posters of the Year, Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest 1988 – Special Award, International Poster Biennial, Warsaw 1988 – Zycie Warszawy Award, International Poster Biennial, Warsaw 1988 – Special Award, National Graphics Biennial, Békéscsaba 1989 – Jules Cheret Award, International Movie Poster Exhibition, Annecy 1989 – First Prize, International Salon of Photography, Kalisz 1989 – Award of Excellence, Ministry of Culture, Budapest 1992 – EPICA Award (Europe's Best Advertising) Paris 1993 – Special Award, Cresta Awards, New York 1994 – Master's Eye Award, International Poster Triennial, Trnava 1996 – Special Award, International Poster Exhibition, Fort Collins 1997 – Mihály Munkácsy Award, Budapest 1997 – Four bronze medals, 9th Annual Dimensional Art Directors and Illustrators Award Show, New York 2000 – Silver medal, International Poster Biennial, Mexico 2002 – Bronze medal, International Poster Biennial, Seoul 2009 – Culture Minister's Award, XIX. International Humour and Satire Biennial, Gabrovo 2009 – 5 Stars Award, International Poster Triennial, Osaka 2022 – 1st Prize, Pristina International Poster Festival, Pristina

Scholarship 1992 – Hungarian Academy, Rome

Publications

Books 1990 – Bakos – Hegyi – Ducki: Pócs Plakátok, Zrínyi Kiadó, Budapest, 2000 – Pócs Péter: UNITED COLORS OF HUNG(A)RY, Poster'V. Design Studio, Budapest 2000 – Pócs Péter: Magyar Millennium, Poster'V. Design Studio, Budapest 2001 – Sveistrup Jensen – Strougård – Piippo: Posters from Hungary, Poster'V. Design Studio, Budapest 2002 – Pócs Péter: (H)ARCOK, Poster'V. Design Studio, Budapest, 2003 – Fitz – Bermúdez – Parti Nagy – Walton – Szakolczay – Hegyi: PÓCS – PLAKÁTOK – 2003 – 1977, Poster'V. Design Studio, Budapest, 2004 – Irena Veshtak-Ostromenskaja: 50 Posters by Péter Pócs, Hungary; Poster'V. Design Studio, Budapest 2009 – Hansen – Nyholm – Ducki – Orosz – Pócs: Magyar Karma, Poster'V. Design Studio, Gozo, Malta 2014 – Shabani – Fitz – Tërshana – Loesch – Ljubicic – Piippo – Bundi – Drewinski: Posters and Ideas, National Gallery of Arts, Tirana

Selected articles 1982 – P. Szabó Erno: Pócs Péter, Muvészet (H) 1982/5. 1983 – Husz Mária: Pócs Péter plakátjai, Muvészet, (H) 1983/6. 1986 – Borzák Tinor: A jó plakát: váratlan pofon, Új Tükör, (H) 1986/47. 1987 – P. Szucs Julianna: Bele a képünkbe, Pócs Péter plakátjai a Dorottya utcai Galériában, Népszabadság, Budapest (H), 1987. April 29. 1987 – Buda Ferenc: Kötésen át két szem figyel: Pócs Péter plakátjai, Forrás, 19/11 (H) 1988 – Ligeti Nagy Tamás.: Én megcsinálom, o betiltja, mi nem látjuk, (H) Reform,1988/8. 1988 – Hudra Klára: Kézjegy, Muvészet, (H) 1988/2. 1989 – Koloh Elek: Egérfogó fogta csillag (H) 1989/165. 1990 – Margaret Timmers: Posters of Freedom, EYE, London (GB), 1990/1 1990 – Gianfranco Torri: In manifesto senza publicitá, Linea Grafica, Milano (I), 1990/5 1990 – Graphic Design in East Europe, IDEA Special Issue, (JP), 1990/6 1990 – FrankJános: Egy pamfletista – Pócs Péter; Vigadó Galéria (Budapest) Élet és irodalom, 34/44. (H) 1990. Nov. 2. 1990 – Bakos Katalin: A változás jelei (Plakátok 1988 – 1990), Magyar Nemzeti Galéria, Budapest (H), HU ISSN 0231-2387 1991 – Szakolczay Lajos: Gúny, öngúny, világmagyarázat – Pócs Péter plakátjai, Kortárs, 35/10 (H) 1992 – Art as Activist (Revolutionary Posters of Central and Eastern Europe), Universe Publishing, New York (USA), 1992 – Dana Bartelt: Art as Activist (Revolutionary Posters of Central and Eastern Europe), Communication Arts, (USA), January/February 1992 1993 – Graphic Design of the World, Vol. 1, Kodansha, (JP), 1993 – The 100 Best Posters from Europe and the United States 1945 – 1990, Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. Tokyo (JP) 1993 – Liz McQuiston: Graphic Agitation (Social and Political Graphics since the Sixties), Phaidon Press Ltd., London (GB), 1993 – Europe without Walls (Art, Posters and Revolution 1989 – 93), edited by: James Aulich and Tim Wilcox, Manchester City Art Galleries, (GB), 1994 – Kozák Csaba: Pócsul gondolkodni, Reklám és Grafika, Budapest (H), 1994/2 1995 – Bakos Katalin: Musen und kanonen (Ungarische Plakatkunst der Gegenwart), Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg (GER) 1996 – Jean-Luc Galus, Laure Vitrac, Christine Williame: Le Francais en Bac Pro / Textes et méthodes, Nathan (FR) 1997 – Kozák Csaba: Pócs Péter tervezo grafikusmuvész, Magyar Iparmuvészet, Budapest (H), 1997/2 1998 – Margaret Timmers: The Power of the Posters, Victoria and Albert Museum London (GB), 1998 – Eve M. Kahn: A Woman's Leg, a Kitchen Floor, a Cheese, Print, (USA) March /April 1998 1999 - Bánszky Pál: „Kecskeméten mindíg úgy éreztem, hogy büntetésben vagyok“ Interjú Pócs Péter grafikus művésszel, Köztér, Kecskemét, 1999. november. 2 2000 – James Aulich and Marta Sylvestrová: Political Posters in Central and Eastern Europe 1945 – 95 (Signs of the Times), Manchester University Press, (GB), 2001 – Anthon Beeke – Alain Weil – Daniéle Devynck: Le Nouveau Salon des Cent, (Exposition International d'affiches), Editions Odyssée, (FR), 2001 – Kortárs Magyar Muvészeti Lexikon, Enciklopédia Kiadó, Budapest (H), 2002 – Kozák Csaba: Alátét, Orpheusz Kiadó, Budapest (H), 2002 – My Poster I am, Package Design, Peking (CN), ISSN 1007-4759 2002 – Parti Nagy Lajos: A vizuális egérfogó, Élet és Irodalom, Budapest (H), 2002 október 4. 2002 – Xavier Bermúdez: Péter Pócs, Lúdica, Mexikóváros (MEX), 2002 December 2004 – Péter Pócs, PISO 04, Guadalajara (MEX) 2005 – Milton Glaser – Mirko Ilic: The design of Dissent, Rockport Publishers, New York (USA) 2005 – Jianping He: All men are brothers, Hesing, Shanghai + Berlin (PRC+D) 2006 – Milton Glaser – Mirko Ilic: The design of Dissent, Editorial Gustavo Gili, SA, Barcelona (ES) 2006 – Lajos Lóska: Plakátharsonák, Új Muvészet, 05 / 06, Budapest (H) 2006 – 1956 on posters, Hungarian Poster Association, Budapest (H) 2006 – TrencsényiZoltán: PócsPéter, Plakátmánia, Népszabadság, 64/51 2008 – Dimitris Arvanitis: Péter Pócs (One of the Last Poster Maniac Artist), Adobe 5 / 08, Athens (GK) 2008 – Péter Pócs: Poster is me, New Graphic, 16 / 08, Nanjing (PRC) 2008 – From the end of 1900s to the beginning of the XXI century, Trama Visual, México (MEX) 2009 – The letters of Bulgaria alphabet of Europe, ITOSP, Sofia, 2009 (BG) 2009 – Humour (Posters from around the world), Kunstmuseum, Cottbus (GER) 2009 – World of Posters Danish Poster Museum, Århus (DK) 2009 – Lars Dybdahl: The Global Poster, Nyt Nordisk Forlag Arnold Busck, Copenhagen (DK) 2013 – Aladár Szilágyi: “Posters start when words end.” Distance talk with Péter Pócs poster designer living in Tirana, Várad, 12 / 07, Oradea (RO) 2015 – Art dhe veprimtari në GKA, Galeria Kombëtare e Arteve, Tiranë (AL) 2015 – Sümegi: Posters of 1956. (1956–2006), Corvina Publishing House, Budapest (H) 2015 – Mónika Zombori: Exhibitions of the Studio in the mirror of contemporaneous documents,(3rd part: the Eighties), Artmagazin, 2015/10, Budapest (H) ISSN 1785-3060 2015 – György Sümegi: Posters of Péter Pócs about 1956 (Each one has a wholesome story), Muérto October/2015, Budapest (H) ISSN 1419-0567 2017 – Buda Ferenc: Pócs Péternek üdvözlet, Forrás, 49/1 (H) 2020 – Varga Mihály: Pócs Péter Portré, PR Herald, 2020. July 1. (H) 2022 - Steven Heller: The Daily Heller: Hungary, in Solidarity With Ukraine, Printmag, 2022. március 30. 2023 – Kozák Csaba: PLAKÁTMAGÁNY, Balkon, 2023 – 1, 2 (H) 2023 – Maya Stefanova: Peter Pocs and the world's richest language, Vijmag 2023 – P. Szabó Dénes: A deviáns emberekben mindig van valami különleges, csak meg kell találni, Népszava, 2023/11 (H) 2024 - Borzák Tibor: Minden plakát üzenet, Országút, 2024. November 14. 2024 - PÓCSCSELEKVÉS, Magyar Iparművészet, 2024/6 2025 - Steven Heller: The Daily Heller: Shock and Awful..., PRintmag, March 4, 2025 2025 - Péter Pócs: The Visual Philosopher of Hungarian Poster Art, Cootermag, April 27, 2025 2025 - José Manuel Morelos Villegas: Péter Pócs con nosotros… otra vez, Pregones de Ciencia No.7, September 7, 2025 (MEX) ISSN 3061-7898

Interviews

FUGA567_online: Átokplakátok talk (H) Interview, Klubradio (H) | Pócs Péter FUGA527_online: SZIMA talk (H) Poster Loneliness presentation, MTA (H)

Artworks in collections Hungarian National Museum, Budapest Korea Design Center, Seoul Kecskeméti Képtár, Kecskemét Kunstbibliothek Berlin, Berlin National Széchényi Library, Budapest Kiscelli Museum, Budapest Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest Franz Mayer Museum, Mexico City Moravská Gallery, Brno Mihály Munkácsy Museum, Békéscsaba Poster Museum, Lahti Poster Museum, Wilanow Victoria and Albert Museum, London National Museum, Poznań Museum of Modern Art, Toyama Ōgaki Poster Museum, Ōgaki Museum of Modern Art, New York BMW Museum, Munich KG, Trnava Humour and Satire Museum, Gabrovo Jerusalem Museum, Jerusalem Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam M. Jose Luis Cuevas, Mexico City Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, Albi Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Berlin CKS Art Gallery, Taipei Museum der Stadt, Osnabrück Wille de l'affiche, Chaumont Manchester Art Gallery Manchester Curfmann Gallery, Fort Collins National Gallery of Arts, Tirana Pécs Gallery, Pécs József Katona Museum, Kecskemét International Triennial of Stage Poster, Sofia Budapest History Museum, Budapest