1921

May 26, Ilka Gedő is born in Budapest. Her father, Simon Gedő was a secondary-school teacher, her mother, Elza Weiszkopf was a clerk.

1939

Attends the free school of Tibor Gallé in the autumn.

1939-42

Taught by Viktor Erdei, a friend of the Gedő family.

1940

She begins to participate in the exhibitions of the OMIKE (National Hungarian Cultural Association of Jews) with her drawings.

1942-43

Studies at the private school of István Örkényi-Strasszer.

1942

Participates at the exhibition entitled "Freedom and the People" at the Vasas Steelworkers' Union Headquarters organised by the Group of Socialist Artists.

1945

Registers in the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts. She stops her studies after the first semester for family reasons. Attends the evening school of Gyula Pap drawing croquis.

1946

Marries Endre Bíró, a biochemist.

1947

Takes part in the Free National Exhibition of the Fővárosi tár (Municipal Gallery).

On 26 September her first son, Daniel is born.

1950

Begins a long period in which she does not take part in Hungarian artistic life.

1953

On 19 February her second son, Dávid is born.

1962

She takes part in the jubilee exhibition of the Group of Socialist Artists. The National Gallery of Hungary acquires three of her drawings.

1965

The painter Endre Bálint selects her drawings made between 1945 and 1949 for a studio exhibition.

1968

Resumes artistic work.

1969-70

Lives in Paris. The Galerie Lambert exhibits two of her paintings at a group exhibition.

1974

Becomes a member of the Hungarian Fund of Art (Fine Arts Section).

1980

The King St. Stephen Museum of Székesfehérvár, Hungary organises a retrospective show of her art.

1982

Exhibition of her recent work at the Gallery of Dorottya utca, Budapest. (The National Gallery of Hungary buys two of her oil paintings.)

1985

On 19 June she dies in Budapest.

In June and July of the same year a one-woman show of her works is organised at the Művésztelepi Galéria (Artist Colony Gallery) in Szentendre.

Her paintings are exhibited at Glasgow's Compass Gallery as part of the Hungarian Arts Season. Articles appreciate her art in the Glasgow Herald, The Scotsman, Financial Times, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Observer and The Guardian.

1987

Retrospective show at the Műcsarnok (Palace of Exhibitions) of Budapest, the premier state gallery for the presentation of modern Hungarian and international visual art.

1989

Exhibition of her drawings at the Municipal Gallery of Szombathely, Hungary.

1989-1990

Second retrospective show at Glasgow's Third Eye Centre that received as good a press coverage as her first show in Glasgow.

1994

Retrospective exhibition of her art at Janos Gat Gallery in New York.

1995

Between February and October an exhibition Victims and Perpetrators takes place showing works by Ilka Gedő and György Román, at the Jewish Museum, Budapest.

From April 18, four of her drawings are shown for a period of nine months at the permanent exhibition Culture and Continuity: the Jewish Journey at the Jewish Museum of New York. Four of her drawings come into the collection of the Jewish Museum of New York.

Between November and December an exhibition is organised of her drawings at Shepherd Gallery in New York.

1996

Extended by three oil paintings of Ilka Gedő and György Román, the exhibition Victims and Perpetrators, formerly shown in Budapest, is also shown at the Art Museum of Jerusalem's Yad Vashem. Ilka Gedő's ghetto drawings come into the possession of Yad Vashem.

Her works are shown at Janos Gat Gallery's spring exhibition on 20the-century Hungarian art.

1997

Janos Gat Gallery organises an exhibition of her paintings and graphic works in the spring season.

A book titled The Art of Ilka Gedő is published including studies by the famous Hungarian art historians, Péter György, Gábor Pataki, Júlia Szabó and F. István Mészáros.

1998

The British Museum, Department of Prints and Drawings and The Israel Museum acquire drawings by Ilka Gedő.

1999

One of Ilka Gedő's drawings is shown at the Israel Museum's exhibition titled Voices From Here and There (New Acquisitions in the Department of Prints and Drawings). The Düsseldorf Kunstmuseum acquires ten drawings by Ilka Gedő.

2000

Works by Ilka Gedő are shown at the autumn group exhibition of Janos Gat Gallery in New York. The exhibition, titled Directions, shows works also from Julian Beck, Herbert Brown, István Farkas, Lajos Gulácsy, Knox Martin and György Román. Jonathan Goodman wrote the preface to the catalogue.

2001

The Municipal Picture Gallery of Budapest / Museum Kiscell shows an exhibition of Ilka Gedő's graphic works.

The National Gallery of Hungary acquires three of her paintings.

2002

As a part of the rearranged twentieth-century permanent exhibition of the National Gallery of Hungary that was opened on 4 September at the exhibition of the Contemporary Collection two of his oil paintings are exhibited (Witches in Preparation, 1980-1981 and Monster and Boy, 1981)

2003

An extensive oeuvre catalogue is published on Ilka Gedő's art titled The Art of Ilka Gedő (1921-1985) Oeuvre Catalogue and Documents.

2004

A memorial retropsective exhibition opens titled Ilka Gedo (1921-1985) at the National Gallery of Hungary on 18 November. The closing date of the exhibition is 31 March 2005.