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József Reményi is one of the most outstanding artists of Beck-Telcs-Berán generation of medallists. After Berán's death he became the manager of the State Mint, and from 1927 to 1944 was the professor of medal art the Academy of Applied Arts. He was an extremely productive artist, primarily interested in more complicated design and the challenge of modelling on the reverse.
"Kalotaszeg", the medal he made in 1908 is rooted in "art nouveau". The flat appearance of the female figures, dressed in folk costume, is similar to the endeavours of contemporary French medallists. The use of folk motifs in "art nouveau", so powerful in other fields such as applied art, book design and architecture, was rate in medals, even though the art was developing dynamically at that time. For this reason "Kalotaszeg" is doubly interesting. Reményi went through a whole "art nouveau" period, which is rich in beautiful works typical of the style.
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