Born in Budapest in 1946, Szirmay arrived in New Zealand in 1957 following the Hungarian revolution. Graduating DFA (Hons) from the University of Auckland School of Fine Arts in 1968, she went on to gain a Teaching Diploma from Auckland Secondary Teachers College. Since then she has dedicated over 40 years of her life teaching art to new generations, while maintaining her outstanding art practice.
The youngest and two times Frances Hodgkins Fellow (1971 & 72), Szirmay was awarded Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council Grants in 1973, 1978 & 1982, and obtained the coveted status of visiting artist in 1982 (Johnson Atelier, Princeton, New Jersey) and again in 1983 (Governors State University, Illinois, USA).
Since 1969, Szirmay has had numerous solo exhibitions within New Zealand, and has participated in group exhibitions in London, Budapest, Helsinki, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Cleveland, Sweden, Crete, Spain and Australia. Her work is held in private and public collections throughout the world.
Szirmay has created architectural works, sculpture for city squares, wall reliefs and free-standing objects in a wide range of sizes. She is a founding member of the Medal Artists of New Zealand (MANZ) and for the past 9 years she has been selected to exhibit at the Auckland Botanic Gardens Sculpture Exhibition where this year she was awarded the McConnell Supreme award for her work Contained and Protected (which invites us to reflect on both the beauty of the environment and the need for its protection).
“I aim to create a language of signs and symbols that transcend regional, cultural and social limitations. I am a long-time advocate for the protection and health of our planet Earth and promote unconditional love and respect for all her sentient beings. While we are debating the rapid disintegration of our planet, not all accept that we as a human race are in any way responsible for the plunder, exploitation and pollution of her.”