István Szőnyi (1894-1960) was a Hungarian painter and printmaker noted for works such as The Bend of the Danube and Zebegény. He and his family rescued Jews during the Holocaust. Hence they were declared Righteous Among the Nations on October 2, 1984. István Szőnyi was one of the most gifted members of the Nagybánya group.
Szőnyi started his art studies at the independent school of the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts from 1911, and then enrolled in the art-teachers training school for 1913 and 1914. Also in 1914, he became the pupil of his first master Károly Ferenczy in both the independent school of Nagybánya and in the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts. In the summer of 1914, Ferenczy brought his students - including Szőnyi - to the Artists’ Colony of Nagybánya.
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