József Pecsenke was a Hungarian graphic artist and painter whose work ranged from film posters, book covers and illustrations to painting, etching, mosaic and mural art. He was also known for appearing as an actor in several important Hungarian films of the 1960s and early 1970s.

Born in Budapest in 1942, Pecsenke studied at the Budapest School of Arts and Crafts from 1956 to 1960 before continuing at the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts between 1960 and 1967. His teachers included Sándor Basilides, György Konecsni and Gyula Hornyanszky. He began exhibiting at Hungarian graphic biennials in 1965 and later showed his work across Europe, as well as in the United States and Canada.

Pecsenke designed posters, record and book covers, calendars and illustrations, and created film posters for several Hungarian films in which he also appeared, including Walls, Headshot, The Witness and Breakout. In 1969 he was a member of Quintett, a group formed by students of Konecsni alongside István Bakos, Kálmán Molnár, Károly Schmal and Emőke Simonyi. His graphic work also included the Commedia dell'Arte series and portraits of composers including Stravinsky, Mozart, Beethoven and Verdi.

From 1971, Pecsenke lived in the United States, where he continued working in applied graphics while developing his practice in painting, etching, mosaic and mural art. His paintings included Steel Worker, Wimbledon, Newport Jazz, Hyde Park and God Created Women. In 1982 he participated in an exhibition in Budapest of Hungarian artists living abroad.

Pecsenke was killed in a car accident in Sweden on December 31, 1989, aged 47. His work is represented in collections and archives including the Princeton University website and international art databases.

Jozsef Pecsenke