Prékopa Ágnes (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 30. (Budapest, 2016)
Zsombor Jékely: The Museum of Applied Arts in 2013-15
Located in the heart of the city, the studio complex was perfectly suited to retreat. Surrounded by high walls and buildings, and with inner courtyards, residential ‘cells’, a lecture hall and large, divisible studios, it bore an unmistakeable resemblance to a monastery and had a philosophy to suit. Everything and everybody there, from the very beginning, worked freely, without controls, dedicated to finding and opening up the way forward for ceramic art. The ICS was the first of its kind in Hungary, and indeed in the world, a continuously operating ceramics colony which constantly kept pace with technology. Its establishment was a unique act of artistic patronage by the then leadership of Bács- Kiskun County. The trust they invested in the studio has been repaid since then by the accumulation of an international collection - a careful selection of which was presented at the exhibition and its accompanying catalogue. The Word was Sung - Exhibition of Artistic Bookbindings from Estonia 13 September - 8 December 2013 The Estonian Association of Designer Bookbinders has organised the international exhibition and competition of artistic bookbinding Scripta manent in every 5 years since 1995. The competition is open to everyone accepting its terms and looking for free expression in the field of artistic bookbinding. The last three Scripta manent exhibitions have been focused on specific topics from Estonian culture. The tradition of Estonian bookbinding is a century old. Lively activity of bookbinding exhibitions began between 1960 and 1980. The first international exhibition of artistic bookbinding took place in 1990 in the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design in Tallinn. The Estonian Association of Designer Bookbinders with its Scripta manent’s ideas continues the tradition of international exhibitions of artistic bookbinding in Estonia. Veljo Tormis - a composer mediating the narrative of Estonian folk music to the contemporary world - was chosen to be the topic of Scripta manent IV. Maestri - Masters of Italian Design 27 September - 24 November 2013 The Triennale Design Museum in Milan presented part of its collection in Hungary in the framework of the Budapest Design Week of 2013. The Maestri exhibition showcased selected items of the Museum’s permanent collection summarizing the oeuvre of 21 legendary Italian designers; it featured items that have both become cult objects and symbols of Design Made in Italy. Chair Superleggera by Gio Ponti, Areo floor lamp by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Valentine typewriter by Ettore Sottsass have all become symbols of an era - and are only a few of the 100 legendary design objects of the Maestri exhibition. The exhibit focused on the last fifty years of Italian design, by introducing the most significant designers and their products, which determined this period. Each of the 21 ’Maestri’ in the exhibition was represented by five objects, in roughly chronological order, thereby guiding visitors through the history of objects, made up of words and things, concepts and objects, innovative prototypes and articles speaking a new visual language. 147
