József Koncz was born on 22 April 1922 in the village of Belsőbőcs. He attended school in Külsőbőcs, then the Lévay Grammar School in Miskolc. During his grammar school years his art teacher, Zsigmond Imrech, noticed his talent. Zsigmond enrolled him the National Drawing Contest announced for student of secondary schools where Koncz excelled. He was accepted to the Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest where he was an excellent student and received scholarship.