Amerigo Tot
Encyclopedia
Amerigo Tot was a Hungarian
sculptor and occasional actor. He was born in Fehérvárcsurgó
, Hungary
and moved to Rome, where he lived for the rest of his life. He studied in Budapest
under Ferenc Helbing
and György Leszkovszky from 1926 until 1928, and under László Moholy-Nagy
at the Bauhaus
in Germany
until 1933. As the Nazis came to power he moved to Rome and worked sculpting memorials on a stipend from the Roman Hungarian Academy, where he eventually became an adviser. He fought in the Italian resistance movement
starting in 1943.
He first received international recognition for his work on the frieze
in Roma Termini station. He began doing abstract works in the 1950s. He returned home to Hungary several times, including 1937, 1939 and in 1969 which was a long prepared step from the side of the Hungarian communist culture-buro. At home he was a highly celebrated "world famous" artist. He had big exhibitions. He did traditional works, including a Madonna
sculpture in his hometown, and very famous abstract sculptures, public monuments too, like Microcosm in Macrocosm (a tribute to Béla Bartók
), His Majesty, the Kilowatt in Kecskemét
. The Amerigo Tot Museum in Budapest
is named after him.
In the 1960s and 1970s he made occasional appearances in films. He is perhaps best known to English-speaking audiences for his role as Michael Corleone
's unnamed bodyguard
and executioner
of Johnny Ola
in The Godfather Part II
. He also appeared in The Most Beautiful Wife and Pulp.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
sculptor and occasional actor. He was born in Fehérvárcsurgó
Fehérvárcsurgó
Fehérvárcsurgó is a village in Fejér county, Hungary.- External links :*...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and moved to Rome, where he lived for the rest of his life. He studied in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
under Ferenc Helbing
Ferenc Helbing
Ferenc Helbing was a Hungarian graphic artist and painter.Helbing was born in Érsekújvár, then in Hungary, today in Slovakia. He started his career as a lithographer. After studying applied graphics and applied arts, he became a printing manager...
and György Leszkovszky from 1926 until 1928, and under László Moholy-Nagy
László Moholy-Nagy
László Moholy-Nagy was a Hungarian painter and photographer as well as professor in the Bauhaus school. He was highly influenced by constructivism and a strong advocate of the integration of technology and industry into the arts.-Early life:...
at the Bauhaus
Bauhaus
', commonly known simply as Bauhaus, was a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933. At that time the German term stood for "School of Building".The Bauhaus school was founded by...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
until 1933. As the Nazis came to power he moved to Rome and worked sculpting memorials on a stipend from the Roman Hungarian Academy, where he eventually became an adviser. He fought in the Italian resistance movement
Italian resistance movement
The Italian resistance is the umbrella term for the various partisan forces formed by pro-Allied Italians during World War II...
starting in 1943.
He first received international recognition for his work on the frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
in Roma Termini station. He began doing abstract works in the 1950s. He returned home to Hungary several times, including 1937, 1939 and in 1969 which was a long prepared step from the side of the Hungarian communist culture-buro. At home he was a highly celebrated "world famous" artist. He had big exhibitions. He did traditional works, including a Madonna
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
sculpture in his hometown, and very famous abstract sculptures, public monuments too, like Microcosm in Macrocosm (a tribute to Béla Bartók
Béla Bartók
Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as Hungary's greatest composer...
), His Majesty, the Kilowatt in Kecskemét
Kecskemét
Kecskemét is a city in the central part of Hungary. It is the 8th largest city of the country, and the county seat of Bács-Kiskun.Kecskemét lies halfway between the capital Budapest and the country's third-largest city, Szeged, 86 kilometres from both of them and almost equal distance from the two...
. The Amerigo Tot Museum in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
is named after him.
In the 1960s and 1970s he made occasional appearances in films. He is perhaps best known to English-speaking audiences for his role as Michael Corleone
Michael Corleone
Michael Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's novels, The Godfather and The Sicilian. He is also the main character of the Godfather film trilogy that was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, in which he was portrayed by Al Pacino, who was twice nominated for an Academy Award for his...
's unnamed bodyguard
Bodyguard
A bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
and executioner
Executioner
A judicial executioner is a person who carries out a death sentence ordered by the state or other legal authority, which was known in feudal terminology as high justice.-Scope and job:...
of Johnny Ola
Johnny Ola
Johnny Ola is a fictional character appearing in Francis Ford Coppola's film The Godfather Part II. Ola was portrayed by actor Dominic Chianese....
in The Godfather Part II
The Godfather Part II
The Godfather Part II is a 1974 American gangster film directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a script co-written with Mario Puzo. The film is both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather, chronicling the story of the Corleone family following the events of the first film while also depicting the...
. He also appeared in The Most Beautiful Wife and Pulp.
Sources
- - Memorial Room and permanent exhibition in the Budapest castle district
- amerigotot.hu - official website by Peter Nemes
- exhibition in Ludwig Museum Budapest
- Sinkovits P. (1982): Az érintések öröme. (The joy of touch.) Report with Amerigo Tot. Művészet, XXIII, No. 7. p. 10-14. (In Hungarian)
- Nagy Z. (1982): Szemelvények egy életműből. (Section of an ouvre.) Exhibition of Amerigo Tot in Budapest, in the Vigadó Galéria. Művészet, XXIII, No. 7. p. 14-19. (In Hungarian)