About the Artist
Etienne Hajdu
Étienne Hajdu was a Hungarian-born French sculptor associated with the School of Paris and the postwar modernist movement. After studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest, he moved to Paris in 1928, where he became part of the vibrant avant-garde community working between abstraction and figuration.
Influenced by artists such as Brancusi, Archipenko, and the Cubist sculptors, Hajdu developed a highly personal visual language characterized by simplified organic forms, rhythmic structures, and a balance between geometry and the human figure. His sculptures often evoke universal themes of growth, harmony, and spiritual presence through smooth, flowing volumes.
From the 1950s onward, Hajdu gained international recognition, exhibiting widely across Europe and the United States. In addition to sculpture, he produced important works on paper and illustrated books, collaborating with poets and publishers connected to the Parisian literary and artistic milieu.
His work is held in numerous public collections, including major French museums, and he remains an important figure of postwar European abstraction.
