Des arbres et des arbrisseaux autour du lac d'argent (2008) Sculpture par Sándor Móga

Móga's career was both complex and lengthy, thus notable. "He started as a sculptor with considerable talent" – as the artist János Gróh declared. Due to the fateful 2nd World War, he became visible only much later as an artist, bringing his cherished artistic visions, matured concepts and accomplished plans to light. Later, he was able to live from his works of art as a full-time profession, transitioning to painting at the end of his career. As a high school student, he was already modelling in the Rákospalota Art Club. In 1947, he became a student of the goldsmith's department at the Hungarian College of Applied Arts under the guidance of Lajos Pál, Miklós Borsos and Pál Miháltz. His art, debuting at national level, included bronze, lead and stone sculptures; he created carved outdoor stone sculptures, cast metal statuettes and metal sculptures using goldsmith techniques. His unique or limited editions of home furnishing objects (decorative trays, sculptures, vases, cassettes, statuettes and mural works of art) have extraordinarily diversified designs and characteristics with organic and abstract stylistic features, which make his art unique even from the perspective of the contemporary artists. He expressed his clear artistic message using primarily bronze, copper and silver, and later vitreous enamel. Móga's large, hammered decorative wall plates are remarkable examples of abstract or figurative traditional plate sculpture. He created them as unique items or as limited edition made of copper, sometimes patinated or decorated with colourful vitreous enamel using ethnological, anthropological or organic themes. At the end of his prolific career, he was open to new creative technological challenges, and combined these solutions with traditional skills, material shaping, coloured patina, and vitreous enamel processes. His Hungarian contracting client was the Picture Gallery State Enterprise. Many of his works were exported abroad. He was a member of the State Art Fund, later a member of the National Association of Hungarian Artists, and simultaneously of the Association of Fine and Applied Artists. The "Móga" horizontally underlined proof mark in two sizes, smaller and larger hammered symbols, identify his works produced in limited numbers for his customer base. In 1991, he enrolled in the design competition for the new forint coins of the Hungarian Republic issued by the Central Bank. Sándor Móga was nominated for the Ferenczy Noémi Prize in 2016. To understand his characterful universe and works, we need to understand the driving force behind his creative activity, particularly his inspirations. "My playroom was the River Danube" – as Ágnes Bálint (author, dramaturg) begins her story. This quotation could also be Móga's motto as he had the opportunity to grow up in a middle-class family and at the same time within the tranquil love of nature – especially the nearby Danube – freely admiring its fascinating fauna and forms as a little child.