Klemmné Németh Zsuzsa szerk.: Gorka Kerámiamúzeum, Verőce (PMMI kiadványai - Kiállítási katalógusok 10. Pest Megyei Múzeumok Igazgatósága)

in the World Expo of New York, 1939, with objects of „shrunk glaze". „No one has ever made such large-scale technical-technological experiments in the history of ceramics so far" - wrote Mariann Almássy about the master in an earlier museum guide. According to his daughter, Lívia Gorka: „He had legendary knowledge of material. He was working with intuition as well as experience accumulated. He had everything at his fingertips. I could only deduce his working method." In the workshop of Nógrádverőce, there was a small-scale production though each object wore the marks of hand-made procedure. Reproduction was restricted therefore every art piece produced there can be regarded an original work. Géza Gorka was careful to inscribe his name himself into each object. „Experiments, implementations, productions for sale, preparations for and personal participation in exhibitions as well as developing the workshop - all meant an organic unit for him." From the second half of the 1930s, he had great successes at several parts of the world. He was present at almost all the international and national exhibitions and was awarded high prizes. 1942 meant the top of his work when he presented the works of his quarter of a century's activity in a separate room at the First Hungarian Ceramics Exhibition; 120 pieces of pottery altogether. As an acknowledgement, he was awarded the State Gold Medal of Applied Arts. During the years of World War II, Géza Gorka organized „Palóc Craft Workshop" in Losonc, which was temporarily attached to Hungary again. It was at that time that Gorka began to use the technique of „írókázás" (the tool named „íróka" has a clay reservoir and tube to draw in coloured, liquid paste). At the Zsolnay Porcelain Factory of Budapest, he worked together with László Mattyasovszky-Zsolnay until the nationalization in 1948. He could try his designs at high-fire technology, in serial production. After the war, return to Nógrádverőce was very sad. „ ... When we returned to the house in the summer of 1945, the crocks of the ceramics collection of European fame were ankle deep ... He struggled with the loss. The collection, which perished, was irretrievable." - wrote his daughter, Lívia Gorka. However, life had to go on. Small-scale production had already been out of question, the Gorka-workshop of Verőce could be run on as an artist's studio. After a long pause, the master had a one-man show in the most beautiful gallery of Képcsarnok in the city of Budapest in 1955 and people began to buy ceramics by Gorka again. His objects of folk art character produced around 1950 were changed for new plastic forms like thin-neck and bottle-gourd shape vases. Gorka began to apply crazed glaze again, his colours became lighter and produced animal figures combined with a dish form he had created earlier as well. He made experiments with new techniques even in his last years. It was at that time that he was trying colour ceramic and glass windows, which the public could see at his collective show arranged in the Solomon Tower of Visegrád in 1968. Though officially Gorka did not teach at a state institution, he gained the title of „honorary professor of the Hungarian Academy of Applied arts in 1967. He founded the ceramics class at Szőnyi István Summer Free School of Zebegény but he could only teach for one year there. On 25 September 1971, Géza Gorka died. He is buried in the graveyard of Verőce. to