Bela Bacsi

Béla Bácsi's extraordinary marble and bronze sculpture is exhibited coast to coast and is held in significant collections throughout the country.

Bácsi is a Professional Sculptor member of the National Sculpture Society,
New York City (est. 1893).

Béla Bácsi was born in Gyor, Hungary. At age six, he and his family moved to the United States. Continuing the family’s long tradition as stone carvers, Bácsi took an interest in carving at an early age. Essentially self-taught, in 1978, Bácsi gained employment at the Studio Ferdinando Palla in Pietrasanta, Italy, where he became an “ornamentista” or fine detail carver.

Returning to the U.S. and settling in Cleveland, Ohio, he then worked as an architectural ornamental master designer at Fischer and Jirouch Architectural Ornamentation and as a bronze foundryman at the nationally acclaimed Studio Foundry. Eventually, Bácsi opened his own sculpture studio and now lives and works in Santa Barbara, California.

In 1999, Bácsi was awarded both the Gold Medal and Maurice B. Hexter Prize at the National Sculpture Society Members’ Exhibition in New York City.

In 2001, fellow exhibitors at the CAC 91st annual members' exhibition awarded him the Gold Medal for the Carrara marble masterwork "Driver of the Wheel".
He won the California Art Club Gold Medal for best Sculpture again at the
96th Annual Gold Medal Juried Exhibition in 2007.
Bela recently won the 2011 California Art Club Gold Medal for Sculpture.
This is his third win of this prestigious award.

Bácsi holds a California Community Colleges teaching certificate for
adult education programs and has taught at Santa Barbara City College and
offers private classes. In addition, he serves as an adviser to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art Docents’ Council.

Béla Bácsi is a Professional Sculptor Member of the National Sculpture Society and a Signature Artist Member of the California Art Club.