Ben Uri Research Unit

Born: 1910 Düsseldorf, Germany

Died: 1975 London, England

Year of Migration to the UK: 1937

Other name/s: Komáromy István, Komáromy István András

Biography

Glassblower and glass artist Istvan Komaromy was born in Düsseldorf, Germany, in 1910. His father was a Hungarian civil engineer whose major projects included the Rhine bridges and the family returned to their home country once the construction was completed. Komaromy discovered his passion and skill for glassmaking while studying medicine in Hungary in the 1920s. At the time, students were required to either buy or make their own glassware needed for their studies. He created scientific glassware for himself and also sold it to colleagues. The Stockport County Express gives a slightly different account, suggesting that Komaromy had a strong interest in modelling since he was a child and left his factory job at 16 to become a professional glass maker (1937, p. 16).

Alongside scientific glass, Komaromy began experimenting with artistic styles, embracing Art Deco. His glass pieces caught the eye of a professor who funded his first exhibition and travels. Glass soon became the main focus of his life, leading him to abandon his medical studies. His preferred tool was a Bunsen burner, along with solid and tubular rods of coloured or opaque glass. Komaromy was highly innovative, using over 200 types of glass. As he advanced, these were custom-made to his specifications at Plowden and Thompson in Stourbridge, in the West Midlands. He called himself a sculptor in glass but also practiced glass blowing, crafting items such as vases and sculpture bases. To keep his larger pieces from cracking, he modified a gas oven for controlled cooling. He soon showcased his work at major glass exhibitions, winning gold and silver medals at the World Fair in Milan in 1931, where he was dubbed the ‘Michelangelo of glass.’ In the 1930s, Komaromy also taught his sister Manci how to work with glass, and together they started a glass studio in Budapest.

Between 1935 and 1939, Komaromy toured Britain as a famous glass artist, showcasing his skills at various department stores nationwide, including Beales in Eastbourne, Lewis’s in Leeds, and the most prestigious, Harrods in London. In 1935 he appeared on British Pathé News, where he crafted a glass figurine of a dancer and sculpted a statue of the cameraman. In 1937, Komaromy married an Englishwoman, Ruth Stratford, and moved to London, where his career flourished. He set up a studio in Leinster Gardens, Marble Arch, near their home. By 1939, Komaromy and his wife had moved out of the city to Shirley, Croydon, where he also relocated his studio. However, Stratford died in 1950, leaving Komaromy a single father of three children. Despite his parenting responsibilities, Komaromy maintained his prolific career as a glassmaker in the UK, producing pieces for the Royal Family and for upmarket stores in London. Notably, HM Queen Mary ordered a series of glasses featuring a white nude figurine, which later became known as the Mary Glasses. These were likely passed down to HRH Princess Margaret, who, in 1971, ordered five replacement glasses through Thomas Goode's shop in Mayfair. In 1953, to commemorate HM Queen Elizabeth’s coronation, Komaromy created The Leader, featuring a leaping stag and two does mounted on a wooden base.

Komaromy developed a distinctive style of glasswork, with his pieces, mostly human and animal figures, exhibiting an elegant and fluid aesthetic, characterised by delicate, elongated forms. His work often captures motion, evident in the dynamic poses and flowing lines of his sculptures. His meticulous craftsmanship is apparent in the seamless blending of different glass types, often presented in monochrome: primarily white glass forms on black bases which provide a dramatic and grounding contrast. He often created dancers, which sold well, along with classical figurines, animals (such as does, horses, and stags), along with candelabras, goblets, vases, decanters, and abstract forms. Komaromy’s early works were unlabelled, but from the early 1960s, they featured silver labels with his signature. Initially, his creations were mounted on glass balls or wooden bases, while his later works were placed on marble stands or stood independently. As his career progressed, his pieces grew in size and ambition.

In addition to making glass, Komaromy taught at Wimbledon School of Art and also delivered guest lectures at the Slade School of Art (University of London) and had several appearances on television, radio and in art magazines. In 1963, he married for the second time. Istvan Komaromy died in London, England in 1975. In the UK public domain, his works can be found in the collections of the V&A, London and Pilkington’s Museum of Glass (now World of Glass), Merseyside.

Related books

Angela M Bowey, Bob Martin, Christine Burley and Raymond Berger, London Lampworkers: Pirelli, Bimini and Komaromy Glass (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013)
No Author, ‘The Clever Glass Worker’, Stockport County Express, 4 February 1937, p. 16

Public collections

Related organisations

Wimbledon School of Art (teacher )

Selected exhibitions

Glass Modelling (solo exhibition), Stonier’s of Lord Street, Liverpool (1940)
Istvan Komaromy: Artist in Glass (demonstration), Beales, Eastbourne (1939)
Beautiful Homes Exhibition (group show), Heelas, Reading (1938)
Istvan Komaromy (demonstration), China Department of Lewis’s, Leeds (1937)
World Fair (group show), various locations, Milan (1931)
Group show, Barcelona, 1929

Ben Uri archive

Consult items in the Ben Uri archive related to [Istvan Komaromy]