Gyula Bajó

Bajó was born in Hungary, which was then part of Austria-Hungary, in 1907. He first exhibited his work in Budapest in 1932 and became a Doctor of Arts in 1942. Bajó sought refuge in England after the Second World War and, with fellow emigrant Endre Hevezi, in 1948 found work as a labourer at the Staffordshire pottery company of Booths and Colcloughs. The pair worked together, in their spare time, on the design of Bajó Ware, a modern style of tableware inspired by themes from history.[1]

Bajó and Hevezi left the pottery in 1953 with Bajó joining the London-based architect's office of the Co-operative Wholesale Society, which runs stores across the country.[1] Bajó specialised in ceramic art and produced a series of tiled murals for the Co-op.[2]

The first Co-op ceramic tile mural, a 2-storey hand painted installation at Guildford, completed in 1956, has been attributed to Bajó. He afterwards (1956–57) created seven hand-painted panels for the catering department of the Co-op's Stratford administration centre, featuring tableware similar to his earlier work at Booths and Colcloughs. The mural at the Stevenage shop was completed in 1958 and a similar mural at the Stratford administration centre (completed 1961) was also likely by Bajó. Bajó completed a mural with Hevezi for the Ipswich Co-op store in 1963. The Ipswich and Stevenage are two of the four surviving Co-op murals, the others being the Co-op Mosaic at Hull by Alan Boyson and a mural at Scunthorpe by Derek W. Brown.[2] Both of the surviving Bajó murals have been granted statutory protection as grade II listed buildings.[2][3]

Bajó also collaborated with Hevezi to complete a glass mosaic mural for the Greek tourist office on Regent Street in London and a number of mosaics and stained-glass windows for the Debre Libanos monastery in Ethiopia.[3] Bajó died in 1984.[1]