Name: Ildikó Réka Fülöp
Place of Birth: Budapest, Hungary
Artistic Style/Technique:
Contemporary Abstract, acrylic, oil, and mixed media on canvas
Early Life and Education:
I spent my childhood in the village of Cece in Hungary, where my father worked as a doctor and pursued his passion for archaeology and numismatics. My mother was a primary school teacher and raised us together with my two siblings. I was born as the fifth child of my mother; sadly, we lost my two eldest siblings shortly after their birth.
I grew up in a versatile, intellectually rich family. My father’s sister was a sculptor. From my father, I inherited calmness, perseverance, integrity, and a deep love for work and intellectual pursuits. From my mother, I received restlessness, boundless energy, perfectionism, and self-belief.
In my twenties, I entered the world of fashion, I had the possibility to appear on the catwalks of Paris, Milan, Tokyo and New York, and I was able to work with the best designers. I was performing at the shows of Versace, Armani, Paco Rabanne, and my photos were published in French Vogue and on the cover of Italian Cosmopolitan. Many of my appearances are linked to the name of the French photographer and designer Thierry Mugler, from whom I learned a lot. Fashion taught me to look at the world around me with a theatrical sensibility, to see the duality in everything that exists, to discover the dazzling world of dreams and reality, the fantastic harmony of colors and shapes.
I completed my higher education at the Corvinus University of Budapest, where I earned my Master’s degree in 2002.
From a young age, I was fascinated by the arts, although it remained a distant admiration for many years. I had the opportunity to visit some of the world’s greatest galleries and museums. However, I only began painting at the age of 49 — quite unexpectedly. During a vacation in France, at the Picasso Museum, a huge creative force was unleashed in me to show what was inside of me, although I had never tried before, nor did I know that I was capable of anything like this.
I am currently studying at the Budai Rajziskola in Budapest to further develop my skills and artistic vision and where I learned a lot from the painter András Breznay, his encouragement and guidance took me in the direction of the abstract.
Key Career Milestones:
My first solo exhibition took place in 2024 at the 67Sigma restaurant in Székesfehérvár. Later that same year, my work was also featured at the Budapest office of Idemia. At the end of the year, one of my paintings was exhibited at the Esztergom Castle Museum as part of a Hungarian national art competition. In August 2025, my works were presented at the Nemeskeresztúr Cultural Center as part of the closing exhibition of the summer art residency. In 2025 I am honored to participate in two international exhibitions: the Women in Art Biennale in London (September 11–14, 2025) and the Venice International Art Fair (September 17–29, 2025), presenting my works to an international audience.
Artistic Influences and Themes:
The central message of my paintings is that the world does not function along clear-cut borders — things are constantly blending into one another. To express this, I use vibrant colors and geometric forms to convey internal tension, emotions, and human stories.
Painting is an inner journey for me – I tell stories through colors, shapes, and emotions. In my work, abstraction meets the rhythm of nature, sometimes playfully, sometimes in a thought-provoking way.
My greatest inspiration comes from the work of Pablo Picasso, whose art is both liberating and deeply stimulating to me.
