Budapest mural pays tribute to Katalin Kariko, Hungarian-born pioneer behind Covid-19 vaccine

After 12 days of work, a painter was putting the finishing touches to her lips on the portrait on Saturday afternoon. By Monday a slogan will be added too: “The future is written by Hungarians”.

A painter makes finishing touches on a mural showing a portrait of Katalin Kariko in Budapest. (REUTERS/Kriszta Fenyo)

“Katalin Kariko is a true Hungarian role model, who is an example not just by helping to develop the vaccine … but also by proving to the young generation of Hungarians that as a Hungarian it is possible to achieve a very positive effect in the world,” said Gergely Boszormenyi-Nagy, founder of the company Brain Bar, who came up with the idea of a mural.

Kariko reacted to her portrait in a tweet saying “It was a surprise, a big surprise.”

It was a surprise, a big surprise 😍 https://t.co/rUKHeXxmxb

— Katalin Kariko (@kkariko) August 23, 2021

Budapest residents were happy to see her smiling face on the wall of a residential building in a leafy part of the city.

“She is a fantastic character who has made huge achievements, we hope for this she will receive the highest award, the Nobel prize. We are very proud of her,” Emilia Kozma said.

📣 For more lifestyle news, follow us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook and don’t miss out on the latest updates!