1960s/90s copper and silverware by Hungarian/Australian craftsman, Louis Berczi

Louis Berczi was born in 1938 in Devavanya Hungary. He departed Hungary during the 1956 uprising and moved to the Netherlands, where he met his future wife Suzanne. They migrated to Australia in 1964 and the following year registered their first business name “Copper Art Studio Berczi & Company” and later another business name  “ Berczi Copper Company Pty Ltd”

In the mid 1980’s, with his wife they commenced working on architectural projects, the first being restoration of the head office of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in Martin Place Sydney which lasted 6-7 years. This was followed by commissions for the new Parliament House in Canberra and then Old Parliament House in Wellington New Zealand. They were commissioned to produce approximately 490  phosphorous bronze windows for the Parliament House in Darwin, Northern Territory, and after that, worked on the Mitsubishi Museum.

On a smaller more... scale the business produced  copper and silverware pieces included a variety of items, such as vases, bowls, candlesticks, and flatware in  copper and silverware pieces often incorporating other materials such as wood, stone, and leather into the designs.

Another notable piece was Berczi's "mokume" flatware, which was made from a combination of silver and copper and featured a unique pattern that resembled wood grain. The flatware was inspired by a traditional Japanese metalworking technique known as mokume-gane, which involves layering and bonding different metals together to create a pattern.

Louis Berci suffered a stroke and passed away in November, 2015.

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