Reich Károly was born on 8th August 1922 in Balatonszemes. His father and grandfather used to be wheelers there too. He finished six classes of primary school in Szemes where he also did woodcarvings and drawings. He enrolled the School of Applied Arts where he received scholarship.

After the war he continued his studies at the Graphics Department of the Collage where his teachers were Hincz Gyula and Konecsni György. He graduated in 1948. At the beginning of his career he did graphic works, film posters, but soon he became involved in book illustrations.

In 1954 and 1956 he received the Munkácsy Prize. In 1963 he received the Kossuth Prize. In he became a Merited Artist. He also made large wall pictures for the Children’s Town of Fót, the Children Hospital of Miskolc and a kindergarten in Zalaegerszeg.

His biggest exhibition opened at the Vigadó Gallery in 1981. He began to make coins and statuettes in 1985. He died on 7th January 1988.

He spent most of his career with book illsutrations. We can see his illustration in more than four hundred books. Many of his books were republished over and over again which shows the actuality of Reich Károly's art.