The youngest designer in Herend. She has been a designer at the Herend Porcelain Manufactory for 11 years. She was born in 1978 in Siófok and graduated from the Hungarian University of Applied Arts in 2002 as a student of Imre Schrammel. She started her career at the Herend Porcelain Manufactory, where she completed her diploma thesis and then started working.
The Herend Porcelain Manufactory is not only part of the Hungarian heritage, but also a unique cultural treasure in the world: from the processing of the raw porcelain mass through moulding, casting, firing to the final finishing of the painting pot, everything is still done by hand. At the same time the traditional process is combined with progressive formal innovations in Herend with around 360 new developments, objects, shapes and patterns being created each year as a result of the work of the designers.
Etelka Meixner is credited with several new figurines, ornaments and many traditional decorations. In addition to the classic products of the Herend Porcelain Manufactory her work has also led to the creation of new, innovative, so-called designer pieces, which have been particularly popular with younger customers. Herend porcelain with its translucent (lithophane) lamps, large vases and other decorative objects is once again making its way into the homes of young people, often with the help of a specialist.
Her pieces for Herend have attracted attention abroad: her dragon figurine was proposed as a holiday gift by Vogue magazine in 2012. Herend's approach to art is also extremely modest and humble: she believes that it is not the creator but the creation that should be known and appreciated and that in true art the vanity of the creator should not come between the inspiration and the finished work. She designed, among other things, the main attraction of the Herend stand at Ambiente Frankfurt 2008, the Sea Scene, and her 'pearl' set was a great success at this year's fair. Her outdoor sculpture, the four-metre high, one-tonne porcelain Tree of Life with internal lighting can be seen in front of the Veszprém Arena. Her latest sculpture is in the Handshake/Kézfogás Sculpture Park in Balatonalmádi.
In her solo exhibition her work of the last 11 years: her plane sculptures, sculptures, vessel sculptures, functional objects, sets and figures were presented.
Her artworks and unique designs for Herend have been shown in several group exhibitions: 2003 - "A Long Table 150 Years, Set with Herend Tableware" - Ernst Museum, Budapest 2006 - Dialogue Herend-Meissen porcelain manufactories joint exhibition - Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest 2006 - "Herend's Future, Future's Herend" - Porcelain Museum, Herend 2009 - "Craft and Design" Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest 2010 - Contemporary porcelain artists, Hungarian Porcelain Manufactures, Hungarian Cultural Institute, Brussels 2012 - Herend Design Museion No. 1 . Budapest 2012 - Magic Porcelain World, Veszprém, Laczkó Dezső Museum
