Gunther Gerzso was born on June 17, 1915 in Mexico City. Gerzso's Hungarian-born father, Oscar, had migrated to Mexico in the early 1890's. Gerzso was encouraged by his friend Bernard Pfriem, an art student, who gave him his first set of oils and advised him to dedicate himself to painting full-time. While he was unable to pursue his painting to that degree, Gerzso made excellent use of the gift by painting as often as possible.
His summers he spent painting in Mexico. Here Gerzso was introduced to Paris Surrealist painters including Remedios Varo, Leonara Carrington, and Roberto Matta who all lived and worked in Mexico City. They all shared admiration for Picasso, Ernst, Klee, and Surrealist painting. They frequented each other's studios, gathering and sharing their ideas and thoughts.
In 1931 he returned to México and became a set and custom designer in the cinematographic industry. His initial artistic works, during the 1940s, were influenced by surrealism but he later turned to abstractionism. His works have been displayed in México City, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Sweden, France, England, Japan, Venezuela, and Germany among other countries. In 1973 he received a Guggenheim Fellowship and in 1978 the Premio Nacional de Artes y Ciencias, the highest artistic/scientific distinction awarded by the Mexican government. The prestigious Gelman collection contains numerous Gerzsos, and works of art by Gerzso are part of the collections of major museums throughout the world. Maestro Gerzso died on April 21, 2000 in México City.
Gerzso lived in Mexico City until his recent death on April 20, 2000. He is survived by his wife and two sons. He left an incredible body of work; it's a legacy that assures him immortality of both mind and spirit, in defiance of the frailty of his human body and painter's hands.
