| István Irsai | |
| Birth Date: | 1896 |
| Birth Place: | Budapest, Hungary |
| Death Date: | 1968 |
| Death Place: | Israel |
| Education: | Budapest University of Technology and Economics |
| Occupation: | Architect, graphic designer |
István Irsai (later Pesach Ir-Shay, Hebrew: פסח ער-שי, b. 1896 – d. 1968) was a Hungarian-born Israeli architect and graphic designer.
István Irsai was born in 1896 in Budapest, Hungary.[1] [2] He learned how to play the violin as a child.[2] He served in the Austro-Hungarian Army during World War I.[2] He subsequently studied architecture at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.[1] [2]
Irsai started his career as an architect and graphic designer in Budapest.[2] He lived in Mandate Palestine from 1925 to 1929, when he designed the Hebrew font Haim.[1] During that time, he also designed stage sets in theatres as well as houses in the Bauhaus architectural style.[2] He returned to Hungary in 1929, where he worked as a graphic designer until 1944.[1]
Irsai was deported to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1944, but he managed to escape on the Kastner train.[1] [2] He emigrated to Israel, where he was a graphic designer.[1] [2] He designed posters for Modiano and Tungsram, among other companies.[2] He also designed Zionist-themed posters to promote the state of Israel.[2]
Irsai died in 1968 in Israel.[1] [2]