Lajos Petri

Lajos Petri sometimes called himself Pick, after the name of the salami factory that belonged to his family. He first earned a law degree after studying in Budapest and Berlin, but he later studied sculpture in Budapest and then worked in Bruxelles with interruptions from 1909-22. Petri was a significant portrait sculptor for over 20 years. Female nudes and athletes were also common topics. Petri regularly entered sculpture competitions, often without success. Many of his realistic sculptures were designed for monumental dimensions, but never really implemented. After World War II he organized individual and group exhibitions and was commissioned with a number of public assignments.

Petri received an Honorable Mention for his work Futó at the 1936 Berlin Olympics in the Art Competitions in the category Sculpturing, Statues. The two sculptures that Petri submitted in 1928 and 1936 are almost identical. The start (also At the starting line) made of bronze was made in 1910 and measures 42 x 55 x 27.5 cm. In 1935, a larger version was made of plaster, exhibited in Berlin as Runner, also titled At the start line or in Hungarian language Nagy startoló (Large Starter). This version, which used to stand in front of the building of the Budapest University Sports Club (BEAC), may have been about twice as large as can be estimated from contemporary photos. The sculpture was probably lost in the turmoil of World War II.