Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 16. (Budapest, 1997)

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COLLECTION OF MINOR OBJECTS In comparison with the last few years, we have been able to make important acquisitions, through the support given by the National Cultural Foundation 75. Judit Bráda: Multistorey box, 1994 (Inv. No. 95.71) Leather and wood; the leather embellished using dye and blind-tooling Height: 45 cm; width: 11.3 cm; length at the base 25 cm The leatherwork artist Judit Bráda is a prominent figure in the younger generation of applied artists. A member of the "Matéria" group, her variations on, and experiments to do with, certain types of object are well known (e.g., in the "jewellery bag" genre). Among these belongs the type represented by a particular work purchased for the Museum's collection in 1995. The individualized, oriental-type motifs achieve a new function in the construction of the "multistorey box", which is put together from secret compartments one on top of the other. The piece, which uses handicraft techniques, was earlier displayed at the Museum, in the exhibition staged in 1994 of work by applied artists holding Kozma scholarships. 16. Júlia Szilágyi: "Modern Convent Work" : Sitting Angel, Seen from the Back, Looking at Itself in a Mirror, 1988 (Inv. No. 96.154) Wooden frame with traces of gilding, in it a porcelain figure, a piece of mirror and a garland of fruit and leaves made from plaster of paris and textile Height: 43.5 cm, width: 31 cm; depth: 13 cm In the work of Júlia Szilágyi - who, starting out from the world of textiles and making a mark on the history of modern applied art through her membership of the Manuál group - the art of earlier periods lives on, always in a different, but nevertheless a decisive way - from subtle references to style all the way through to concrete relics incorporated in the composition. By means of a purchase made in 1996, the Museum of Applied Arts has settled an important debt, in that a significant work made some years ago now represents Júlia Szilágyi's art in its collection. "Angel Looking at Itself in a Mirror", one of the pieces in a series inspired by work done in convents during the Baroque age, may now be placed among the old pieces of convent work held by the Collection of Minor Objects, as a particular, personal and modern-day reworking of the genre. (Agnes Prékopa)