Szilasi Ágota, H.: Víz - fény-szín-tér. Stílusvariációk egy technikára. Egri Országos Akvarell Biennálé 1968-2004 a Dobó István Vármúzeum kortárs akvarell gyűjteménye (Eger, 2006)
the way works purchased for the modern watercolour collection at the Hungarian National Gallery have been selected primarily on the basis of their standing at, or relevance to, the Eger exhibitions. - It is also worth noting the interest shown by exhibitors both at home and abroad in the collection atthe EgerMuseum. It is no secret that the whole biennial network, which was set up nearly forty years ago, was part of an official artistic policy which enjoyed the necessary moral and material support of the state. The Miskolc Graphic Biennial was founded in 1961 in the form of a forum for active artists. As a result of the efforts in Miskolc, and following recommendations by the Hungarian Association of Visual Artists and the Ministry of Culture, it wasn't long before it was decided to have a biennial in Eger as well. The exhibitions, which were organized on a two year basis, starting in 1968, were originally organized and coordinated by the Hungarian Association of Visual Artists' Northern Hungarian Branch (based in Miskolc), the Exhibiting Institutions of the Műcsarnok (Budapest) and the town of Eger. The Műcsarnok was responsible for organizing the first three exhibitions, whilst Eger provided the location. The exhibition provided one of the many attractions of the Eger Summer Festival which was put on primarily for the benefit of the tourists. At the time, the town was indeed honoured to be awarded this exhibition, despite the fact that it was not entirely a local product, „butsurely, the meeting of the artist with his audience is always a victory in itself. " (András Farkas) The presence of the biennial in Eger meant the town could be counted amongst those larger provincial towns which in hosting a major national event were contributing to a state initiative to bring cultural life in the provinces up to a level comparable with Budapest. In his introduction to the very first catalogue of the exhibition series Lajos Németh suggested that the problems facing the watercolour medium dated back to the beginning of the nineteenth century. He noted that although Hungary had had a rich and extremely significant watercolour tradition „the medium had become the poor relation of the visual arts, having been forced out onto the periphery... ." The cultural policies which had dated from the beginning of the fifties were not conducive to a watercolour medium characterized by a hazy softness, indistinct contours, complicated and complex colour harmonies expressing exterior impulses and inner 16
