Collection: John Gurbacs

b. 1947, Budapest, Hungary (Hungarian-American) // Lives and works in Tampa, Florida, USA

Artist Statement & Style:

John Gurbacs is a Hungarian-American painter whose work explores the intersection of nature, geometry, and the human-made world. Rooted in both representational and abstract styles, his paintings reflect a lifelong fascination with fractals, formal symmetry, and visual metaphors found in both cosmic and terrestrial environments. Tree branches mimic lightning bolts. Saturn's rings echo ripples in a puddle. These comparisons form the backbone of his process, inviting viewers to perceive deep harmonies between opposites.

Using source imagery from construction debris, tropical foliage, and microscopic patterns, Gurbacs layers meaning and geometry into works like Intersection (2021) and Balance Rainbow (2022). His approach draws from Buddhist mandala traditions, aiming to balance contrasts, large and small, chaos and order, the physical and metaphysical.

Background & Career Highlights:

Born in Budapest in 1947, Gurbacs immigrated to the United States in 1957. He began drawing as a child in Cleveland, later studying in Miami before earning his BFA in Painting from Florida State University. He pursued graduate studies at the University of South Florida and worked in the construction industry, an experience that later influenced his visual vocabulary of built versus natural forms.

A recipient of the Florida State Individual Fellowship Award and the NEA Regional Fellowship Award (1986), Gurbacs has also served his community as an Artist-in-Schools (1990–1995) and adjunct professor at the University of Tampa and St. Petersburg College (2000–2004). His work continues to evolve across formats and media, grounded in a personal philosophy of visual oneness and fractal beauty.

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