Vadas József (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 12. (Budapest, 1992)

Béla Borsos

BÉLA BORSOS (1913 - 1991) "Like rings of coral islands in a southern sea, bulwarks of work of arts are created between the collector and the outside world." An original and apt remark from a comprehensive essay published in the 1979 volume of the periodical Művészet töri énei i Értesítő. It is a study written with superior erudition, widi a refined composition of fiction, displaying almost unique virtues. The author, Béla Borsos, does not only prove his perfect professionalism as a researcher and philologist but he also manages to couple impressive expertise with an exceptional affinity towards art products. Under his scrutiny, secrets of artistic values willingly reveal themselves. Their features, the special, individual characteristics of each piece serve as starting points for innumerable important conclusions for Borsos. All of his publications are characterized by this approach and by a professional descriptions and analyses, which is proved by the almost 100 items of his professional bibliography, including his essay he compiled for his Ph.D., which was published in Hungary in a shortened version in 1965, following several issues abroad. The criteria by which we can decide whetiier the piece is original and the evaluation of the activity and products of 19th century falsifiers workshops were fairly frequently researched by Borsos. He devoted a separate, exciting study to this broad subject. His sound judgements prevail even today and guide us how to deal with pieces which used to be original but with later restructuring or with subsequent insertion of earlier elements business speculation and greed turned them into forgeries. His views and opinions, always supported by sound arguments were acknowledged by the most respected European forums. In 1964, for example, he was invited as a consultant by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Béla Borsos, who finished his studies in 1936 as an architect at the Joseph Technical University of Budapest, was involved in the theoretical and practical problems of the history of Hungarian architecture and monument protection. His activity was focused mainly at the National Supervisory Board of Monuments, where he was first the leader of the administration department, then became head of the collections department. He was the initiator of the foundation, later the first director, of the Hungarian Architectural Museum. His remarkable oeuvre reached its peak at the age of 35: in 1948 he received his Ph.D. in arts, and, following a diverse activity in this field, he became Professor of Arts History in 1986, with the compilation of an essay entitled The Style-Forming Role of Material and Technique in The History of European Glass Art. However, he was respected by experts not only for his achievements as a scientist but also as an acknowledged collector of the age. As an often cited saying goes, "each collection displays the personality,