In 2025, the Márton Szipál Archive launched a year-long series of programs entitled Szipál 101 Light-Life-Legacy. These key concepts are closely related not only to Márton Szipál's oeuvre, but also to his unforgettable personality.
He regarded light not as a means of illumination, but as a carrier of meaning and a compositional element, using it to reveal the inner light of his models. His love of life and respect for it, which was also evident in his passion for creation, defined his activities and his life's journey. These qualities and his unique personality made him a central figure in social and professional life wherever he lived. Heritage, as something received and passed on, knowledge based on experience, was important to him and was realized in teaching, which was his most important activity in the last stage of his life. Everything he knew was concentrated in his works, as was the curious and open-minded way of thinking that formed the basis of his outlook on life. These are fundamental parts of the legacy he left us.
The aim of the events organized during this one-year period is not only to present this life's work, but also to bring it to life, to evoke his charismatic personality, and to turn remembrance into joy.

Born into a dynasty of photographers 101 years ago, Márton Szipál was known in Hollywood as "Martin, the king" and became a star photographer on Sunset Boulevard. He took portraits of stars without clichés, unlike anyone else before or since. His studio was frequented by celebrities such as John Wayne, Tommy Lee Jones, Leslie Nielsen, Tracy Nelson, Charlene Tilton, Olivia Hussey, Timothy Hutton, and Priscilla Presley. He also photographed model Margaux Hemingway, as well as Henry Miller and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
His photographic style was characterized by clarity, distinctive composition, and brilliant use of light and shadow. As a director, he arranged every tiny detail of the image to be created and always found the one viewpoint from which the face was symmetrical.
He was a photographer of the sunny side, who saw the geometric principles at work in the world that created balance and beauty in forms, and although he only named it late in his career, he worked according to the rule of the golden ratio from the very beginning. He was fundamentally interested in the face and knew that the inner beauty that exists in everyone must be revealed in order to become visible.

We have selected some of Budapest Contemporary's iconic photographs, which capture the essence of his oeuvre, revealing how he found timeless beauty in each face, photographed the secrets of their gazes, and saw the harmony hidden in everything.
Márton Szipál – MARTIN's unique oeuvre is of great significance in the history of Hungarian and international photography, and he is considered one of the founders and best practitioners of portrait photography.