Close
In 1903 he was born as the youngest child. His siblings were Sarolta, József and Tivadar. After finishing school, he worked as an electrician and electrician from 1921.
His interest in magic was such that, despite his parents’ prohibition, he began to practise it secretly, seeking out his grandfather’s remaining props and deciphering their practices. Since, of course, the various devices did not come with instructions, he devised ways of demonstrating them.
This is how he came to invent tricks of his own. Unique was the pigeon disappearing and releasing illusion, which he not only devised but also prepared all the props for the stunt himself. (His favourite saying in later life was: ‘The interesting thing about magic is that the magician does not do what the audience sees and the audience does not see what the magician does’. He also managed to perfect his sleight of hand to such an extent that some of his tricks could not be performed in the same way by others until his death. (For example, the Chicago balls with 8 large balls.)
As far as the museum is concerned, we have a special object from the master. A photograph of the master performing a trick. The trick in the photo is also part of our collection.
He began working as a magician in 1926. He travelled all over Europe during his career. In 1932, he started performing in Europe as a magician from 1926. In his performances, he appeared first as Bari-Vari, later under his own name, with his wife, from whom he had a son, Béla, in 1932. He was elected a member of the board of MAME (Hungarian Artists’ Association). He goes on a European tour and performs all over Europe. After the World War he was interned. After his release, he was not allowed on stage for a while, so he was forced to work as an electrician for a few years. In 1949 he lost his wife. He began to teach his wife magic, and by the time the regime allowed him to perform again, they were performing together. His wife passed her exams as Erika Vanek and obtained a licence as an independent magician.
They toured the country together. They worked in the circus, in the cinema vaudeville and in the hospitality industry.
Vanek has also taken on apprentices as a master. She was involved in prop making, first for her own use, and then for her colleagues and pupils.
He died in 1982.