HUNGARIAN GARDEN
Hungary recognizes the value, symbolic above all, of its artistic heritage. The Central Bank of Hungary has recently brought home a significant part of the Sevso Treasure, important artefacts that date back to ancient Rome, paying 15 million euro for half of the 14 pieces that make up the precious collection.
BALATON (2014) by PODMANICZKY AGNES
This operation is part of an investment programme dedicated to the purchase of Hungarian works of art that left the country in the course of its turbulent history. The goal is to repatriate as many works as possible in order to protect and enhance the cultural heritage of the nation, in the profound conviction that investment in culture and the recovery of its identity represent a decisive factor for the socio- economic development of the country. Today, Hungary is part of a United Europe and as a member of this group, its cultural identity, so rich in heritage, can aspire to an important role.
ONE OF THE MANY (2014)
by KEREKES GABOR
The country is moving ahead at a good
pace – the Hungarian economy is expected to grow by more than 3 per cent in 2014 – and the structure of growth is becoming more balanced. An increase in household spending is expected, together with improvements in the balance in public finances and the labour market, with unemployment and gas and electricity prices falling, thanks to cuts in tariffs imposed
on multinationals by the government.
SYNTHETIC CIRCLE (2014)
by KOVACS ATTILA
THIEF (2014) by CSATO JOZSEF
Even within the European Union, Hungary is forging its own, distinct path. It is doing so in the tradition of the Hungarian people, the only nation that does not have racial or linguistic relatives in Europe, as the curator of this catalogue, Claudio Scorretti, explains in his introduction. Hungary is a nation, therefore, that is used to relying primarily on its own strengths and, consequently, to giving particular value to its collective memory. Budapest, in this sense, is a capital that leaves no one indifferent, it is also unique, but at the same time divided in two by the beautiful blue Danube.
BERTALAN FARKAS (2014) by DEBRECZENI IMRE
An ancient city, Buda on the hill; a modern heart, Pest, at his feet: busy, full of shops, hotels, galleries, cafes, bakeries, restaurants, nightlife. Together they form one of the powerhouses that in the past two decades has made the East the true cultural laboratory of Europe. The Spring Festival is a perfect example, with hundreds of events, including classical music concerts, opera, operetta, jazz, folk, theatrical performances, ballet, exhibitions and folk dance, making it one of the most important festivals of the continent.
TOY (2014)
by BARABAS MARTON
Untitled (2014)
by KOVACS LEHEL
The young Hungarian art of today, heir to a great artistic tradition, is revitalizing its Mitteleuropean cultural identity after the tribulations determined by the historical events of the early and late twentieth century, in particular the lengthy period Hungary spent in the sphere of the Soviet bloc.
Untitled (2014)
by JUHASZ DORA
This concept particularly applies to the figurative culture expressed by a hotbed of interesting artists, as this Imago Mundi collection documents, bringing together more than 140 works in the usual 10x12 cm format.
Untitled (2014)
by SZUTS MIKLOS
With different techniques and forms
of expression, it seems to me that the Hungarian artists are aiming to find a balance between inspiration and references to the European/Western school, and the national identity of their art, or rather, those typical features that distinguish their work from that of anyone else.
Untitled (2014)
by MISETICS MATYAS
ON (2014)
by BARANYAI ANDRAS
I remember the rigorous work of André Kertész, Hungarian photographer and an inspiration to many (including Henri Cartier-Bresson), who learned from him how to use the medium of photography, focusing on the story
at the expense of special effects.
URBAN HISTOLOGY - CAPUT MORTUUM (2014)
by BARABAS ZSOFI
Untitled (2014)
by MOLNAR ZSOLT
Kertész in Hungarian means gardener. And in this collection I am struck, overall, by the meticulousness of those who literally cultivate the ‘garden’ of their passion and their talent to express – in the common geometry of the small format – a vibrant and ironic search, sometimes melancholic and intimate, for poetry.
Untitled (2014)
by BUN ZSOFIA
You are all set!
Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.