Romanian painter, sculptor, graphic artist, and theatre designer of Hungarian origin. Jószef Haller graduated from the “Ion Andreescu” Institute of Fine Arts in Cluj-Napoca (Romania), Sculpture section (name changed in 1990 to “Ioan Andreescu” Academy of Visual Arts; and in 2001, to University of Art and Design). Haller worked as a stage and puppet designer at Teatrul de păpuși Ariel (Ariel Puppet Theatre) of Târgu-Mureş from 1959 to 1999. His stage designs were renowned for their modern, austere style, great beauty, and humour.

He created the designs for over one hundred and twenty productions. Among these were: Parodies (1966) by Bajor Andor; Four Pages of Humorous Stories (1967) by Valentin Silvestru; Csongor es tunde (Csongor and Tunde, 1972) by Komzsik-Vörösmarty; Rățușca cea urâtă (The Ugly Duckling, 1975), based on Hans Christian Andersen, directed by Antal Pál[/lier]; Pasărea albastră (The Blue Bird, 1982) by Maurice Maeterlinck; Cartea cu Apolodor (The Book of Apollodorus, 1984) by Gellu Naum; and Ninigra și Aligru (Ninigra and Alligru, 1985) by Nina Cassian, the latter three productions directed by Maria Mierluţ.

As an established graphic artist, József Haller participated in numerous exhibitions, including those held in Barcelona, Siegen, Mannheim, Maastricht, Stockholm, Washington, DC, Krakow, and Budapest.

Jószef Haller was one of the significant designers of Romanian puppet theatre. He was the recipient of important awards and medals from the Romanian Ministry of Culture, the Romanian Government, and the Hungarian Republic. He was awarded the UNIMA Diploma for the Best Show at the International Puppet Theatre Festival in Békéscsaba, Hungary.

(See Romania.)