Kepenyes was a prisoner of war under the Stalinist regime. He spent two years incommunicado, and three in forced labor. Kepenyes described the experience as being "humiliated and hungry, a shadow, without a name, a number, without a mirror, without a pen, without books or paper, only me." He survived in those years designing figures and works that he later created. In 1956, with the Hungarian Revolution, he regained his freedom and had to leave Hungary.
After Kepenyes release, he took part in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and the War of Independence, and finally left the country for France in November 1956. He completed his studies in Paris and was a student at the Académie des Beaux-Arts from 1956-58. At the same time, Kepenyes worked at the Factory of Severs. He lived at the Cité Univercité of Paris. It was there that he met students from various parts of the world, including Mexicans who gave him the opportunity to learn about the art and culture of Mexico at that time. In 1959, he arrived in Mexico, discovering it as a vast, free country with enormous possibilities, he dedicated himself to learning about its culture and archaeological sites.
Kepenyes became a Mexican citizen on October 27, 1975. Those arriving at Acapulco Airport will be the first to see Kepenyes' nearly 15-meter-high public statue of The People of the Sun.
In June 2011, Kepenyes received the Signum Laudis award, granted by the Academy of Modern Art in Rome, Italy, for his creativity and innovation. In recognition of his work, he received the Kossuth Prize from Hungary in March 2020, "In recognition of his work as a sculptor and goldsmith, combining authentic and classical sculptural traditions with a special vision of surrealism, bringing symbols of space and time to life, as well as unique jewelry, during his exceptionally valuable artistic career."
--- adapted from Hir Magazin, Budapest, Hungary