Sepy Dobronyi
Baron Joseph "Sepy" De Bicske Dobronyi (April 20, 1922 – May 29, 2010) was a Hungarian-born American sculptor.[1][2][3][4]
Dobronyi was known for his bronze and gold sculptures of celebrities, such as a 42-inch-tall golden statue of movie star Anita Ekberg.[5][6][7] "The Ekberg Bronze" was featured in the August 1956 issue of Playboy magazine by Hugh Hefner, a friend of Dobronyi.[6][8][9]
Early life
Joseph De Bicske Dobronyi was born to József Dobronyi and Szidónia Petric, in the town of Bicske, Hungary,[10] on April 20, 1922. He was raised by his mother.[11]
World War II
In 1940, Dobronyi was drafted into the
Europe to Cuba
Hiding out for a few months, he managed to earn a living by working odd jobs. He obtained a job as an interpreter for the American Military Mission, also known as the
Six months later, he reached
At this time, an offer was made by King
During this time, Dobronyi's studio was doing very well, and the reputation he had with society was positive, so he was able to dedicate some time to his first childhood fascination, African sculpture. He had always found time for his carvings throughout the years, and in the 1970s he made five expeditions to New Guinea[17] in search of Asmat art.[3] While he resided in Cuba, he came across old African Native Art. Dobronyi was welcomed into the secret ritual dances and festivals of the Namigos, who were an Afro-Cuban group of natives.[3]
Cuba to America
Dobronyi came to the United States in 1959.
Family and personal life
Romantic relationships
Dobronyi claimed romantic involvements with celebrities and personalities, including Anita Ekberg,[5][6][15] whom Sepy met[5][6] at a Los Angeles art gallery exhibit of primitives, when she was herself unknown;[10][17] Ava Gardner;[13] Brigitte Bardot;[15] and Linda Christian[13]
Marriages
- Alicia Hartman y Portela (1913-2009) (June 5, 1953 – May 17, 1960) (divorced). Daughter of Walter Hartman, owner of the first Chrysler car dealership in Cuba[19]
- Amy Green Brown (August 11, 1922 – November 19, 1989) (1960-?) (divorced). New York City heiress, daughter of Norvin Hewitt Green and Irene Pierce of New York[20][21]
- Inger Anette Nordquist (1945-) (1969–1972) (divorced)[19]
- In 1969, Dobronyi married his third wife, Anette Nordquist, a statuesque Swedish blonde. Two years later, the Herald reported that at 8:12 a.m. on July 1, 1971, Dobronyi became the first person in Miami to file for a no-fault dissolution under a revised state divorce law effective at midnight.[22]
- Playboy Bunny Rita Lino (1958-) (May 9, 1977 – 1983) (divorced)[19]
- Eszter Paula Barany (1971-) (1999-2002) (divorced)
Children
- Joseph (April 26, 1961 ) (born Joseph Bicskei Dobronyi Jr.) – with Amy Green Brown Dobronyi[22]
- Ferenc (September 22, 1962) (born Ferenc Norvin Dobronyi) – with Amy Green Brown Dobronyi[22]
Organizations
Cuban Art Center
Dobronyi was one of the best known men in Havana. Old tourist literature credits Dobronyi as the founder of the Cuban Art Center in 1951. It was a group effort to help artists in Havana and around the island reach a wider audience and sell more of their work. He had always been interested in Cuban culture and specialized in primitive, semi-abstract sculpture.[23] A modern "Native Bazaar," which centralized the display of the art and sculpture of 187 Cuban artists, put shirts on artists' backs and bankbooks in their pockets for the first time in the island's history.[9][10][24]
Bodeguita del Medio
Dobronyi was also the co-owner of the
Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce
In 1985, Dobronyi was elected a Fellow of the
International Explorers Society
Dobronyi was co-founder and director of the
Discography
LP: Sepy Presents: La Bodeguita del Medio, The Music of Havana's Most Fabulous Cafe. Recorder by Riverside Records and Produced by Bill Grauer Productions, Inc, New York, 1957.[28]
Death
Dobronyi died of
The item from his estate that got the most attention since Dobronyi's death was the old underwear of
Hansons Auctioneers and Valuers, the same auction house that handled the sale of Queen Victoria's undergarments back in 2008, contacted the estate and expressed their interest in handling the sale.[31]
References
- ^ Time. Vol. LXXIV, no. 24. December 14, 1959. p. 40.
{{cite magazine}}
: Missing or empty|title=
(help) - ^ King, Wayne (April 9, 1973). "Many Finding Inflation No Bar to the Good". The New York Times. p. Front Page.
- ^ a b c d Sweeny, Donna (April 2001). "A Lust for Life". The Coconut Grove Times, Local Color. Coconut Grove. pp. B1–B2.
- ^ Dobronyi, Sepy (February 23, 1972). "Wine: A Way of Life". The Miami News. p. Front Page.
- ^ a b c "Playboy's Fifth Anniversary Scrapbook". Playboy (5th Anniversary Issue): 40. December 1958.
- ^ a b c d "Twenty Years of Playboy". Playboy (20th Anniversary Issue): 199. January 1974.
- ^ Murphy, Kay (August 25, 1963). "The Dream Studio of Sepy Dobronyi". The Miami Herald. p. 3–H.
- ^ "The Ekberg Bronze". Playboy: 21. August 1956. Archived from the original on December 8, 2011.
- ^ a b "iPLAYBOY Issue Preview". p. 21. Retrieved October 31, 2011.(subscription required)
- ^ a b c d Eisenberg, Howard (March 1961). "He's the Barer of Good Nudes". Cavalier Magazine: 44–47, 80, 85.
- ^ Dobronyi, Sepy (February 23, 1972). "Wine: A Way of Life". The Miami News. Special Edition. p. Front Page.
- ^ ISBN 1-59048-162-3.)
Reflections in the Sand
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ a b c d e f g h i Benson, David; Sepy Dobronyi (March 24, 1962). "Kicked Out by a King". Today. ME- and the Gold-Plated Girls. 5 (109): 18–19.
- ^ Wilson, Wanda (October 16, 1960). "Studio of a Famous Artist". Ft. Lauderdale News and Sun Sentinel. p. Front Page.
- ^ a b c Benson, David; Sepy Dobronyi (March 17, 1962). "Every Inch of Bardot glistened in the Sun". Today. ME- and the Gold-Plated Girls, The Adventures of Sepy Dorbronyi. 5 (108): 57.
- ^ Benson, David; Sepy Dobronyi (March 31, 1962). "Oh, I'll Get Such A Hiding". Today. ME- and the Gold-Plated Girls, The Adventures of Baron Sepy Dobronyi. 5 (110): 24–25.
- ^ a b Martin, Eunice (March 19, 1975). "Sepy shows his scar and New Guinea Art". The Miami News. Lifestyles Section B.
- ^ a b Buchanan, James (December 21, 1963). "Sculptor Carving Out New Life in America". The Miami Herald. p. 2B.
- ^ a b c Brecher, Elinor J. (June 4, 2008). "Grove eccentric Baron 'Sepy' Joseph de Bicske was Miami's Hugh Hefner". The Miami Herald. Retrieved October 27, 2011.[dead link] Alt URL
- ^ Kreuger, Charles O. (December 10, 1960). "Cowboy Bandits Rob Sculptor". The Miami News. p. Front Page.
- ^ Branagan, Kim. "Kim's New England Ancestors (and more)". Retrieved December 11, 2011.
- ^ a b c d Brecher, Elinor J. (June 6, 2010). "Playboy 'Baron' Lived Larger Than Life". The Miami Herald.
- ^ a b Tynan, Kenneth (February 1960). "A Visit to Havana". Holiday: 50.
- ^ "In All of Cuba". Harper's Bazaar: 151. January 1957.
- ^ "Flying Down to Cuba". Harper's Bazaar: 136,141. January 1954.
- ^ Ft. Lauderdale News and Sun-Sentinel, Section Your Home and Garden, October 16, 1960, Studio of a Famous Artist, Front Page by Wanda Wilson.
- ^ International Explorers. XV (4). International Explorers Society: Bill Spohrer: 5. 1988–89.
Official Journal of International Explorers Society
{{cite journal}}
: Missing or empty|title=
(help) - ^ Navarrete, William (October 9, 2007). "Sepy, el húngaro más habanero" (in Spanish). Paris, France. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
Esta es la carátula del LP Sepy presents: La Bodeguita del Medio. The music of Havana's most fabulous café
- ^ Carey, Bridget (March 31, 2011). "Selling the Saga of Sepy". The Miami Herald. Section B. p. Front Page.
- ^ Carey, Bridget (December 17, 2010). "Take a Peek at Queens Royal Panties". The Miami Herald. Section B, Final Edition. p. Front Page.
- ^ "British Auctioneer – We Want the Queen's Panties!". TMZ.com. December 6, 2010. Retrieved October 23, 2011.