Horváth János: A Rippl-Rónai Ödön gyűjtemény, 2002

Even the toilet was crammed with drawings. If there was a visitor, he was showed to see a 5zinyei drawing or a Knowle5's print. All of them were connected with memories, interest of art history such as Knowles's print, who shared home with József in Meully, and the drawing depicted their garden." Ödön Rónai gradually became a patron supporting young artists, who influenced culture, fie was an original personality. Me was stimulated by a bourgeois zest. He could create a new form of respectable social position. Me considered himself as an amateur. Everywhere he visited he was searching for paintings, antiques to be bought. His collecting passion was combined with good taste and sense of value, but based on a very modest railway salary. He did not have any rude mistakes, fahe purchases. Though the hectic spending of a collector did not contribute a balanced family life. It may have undermined his marriage. He often felt passionately upset when he thought of having come across some precious pieces of art. This treasure - fever stimulated to be involved in art history. The feature of his art collection shows that he was rather susceptible to the new than to the old trends of art. Hobody knows that his frail desire for possesing when became replaced by a spiritual demand for art and an even higher conscience of being messenger, but it occurred. József's high artistic spirit stimulated him enough for this role. If he needed an expert for his purchase, he asked his brother first. József normally sent his brother to museum directors in Budapest. Business link was integrated with fraternal affection in their hierarchy. There were misunderstanding rows between them. Owing to his brother he reached a spiritual height, from which he announced his thesis (on small printed notes / without haughtiness: "The real beggars are those who are not able to enjoy real art. Because starving people can be fed, and given shelter to but if your soul is empty, it cannot be filled. This man can wander on life paths spiritually homeless, starving. Reading papers was essential for him. The articles on fine art and saved them until he could refer to them. If the article was related to one of his pieces, he stuck it on the back of the painting. He started the archives of his brother - newsletters and articles in 1893. He made three thick volumes of them. The first volume was titled: "Reviews on József RipplRónai -Collections of painter József Rippl-Rónai. The most affectionately loving brother collected the articles, the advantageous and disadvantageous ones from the start of the career - Ödön Rippl-Rónai is convinced, the posterity - after the painter' passing away - will respect the artist, whose puritan character generous artistic spirit, steadfast iron-diligence is his own special ideal characterised with strong belief, which ideal is reflected from each of his pieces, combined with hearty individuality-determining his immortality: Ödön Rónai. In his second volume called "International Review" consisting of documentation from the turn of the century to 1914. The title of the third album was" József Rippl-Rónai - 1900" The exhibition photos, articles in chronological order, entries by Ödön and József, and the articles after Ödön'5 death, the museum founding documents put there by József can be seen there. In 1898 he worked in 5omogyaszaló as a stationmaster. He advertised there the following: "Dilapidated big armchairs from my ancestors, big cupboards, all kinds of antiques, paintings to be exchanged for original, modern paintings." His exchange sometimes was based on carved shepherd's crooks collected in the area, and his brother's drawings. He had to avoid monetary calculations in his bargains because he could not know the actual trading value of the work of art. He tried to learn about the artists' value rates, based on catalogues. József Rippl-Rónai became too restless in Paris starting from 1900. Ödödn than visited him for the 2nd time and they discussed József's return, which could be of high artistic value. Ödön's trip to Paris was depicted this time by his brother on a drawing titled: "My brother, Ödön Paris, 10

th June 1900." Ödön came home with some minor paintings and graphics by Mabi artists: Bonnard, Vuillard, Maillol and Ranson together with some modern Japanese prints. József Rippl-Rónai organized a big exhibition in Budapest at Hotel Royal in December 1900 titled: "József Rippl-Rónai's impressions in 1890-1900." He organised an auction after the show on 9

th and 10

th 1901. During this time he was put up with his brother in bomogyaszaló. He lived there in the stationhouse for a year. It was where he made his first oil portrait of Ödön in his black-era style. The picture depicted a balding, shorthaired, respectable stout man with brown beard, smoking a small pipe in a dark room contemplatingand looking at the side. His wide-open, goggled, shadowed eyes, his high brows make an impression of an easy-going person. His attitude suggestsjoviality. József RipplRónai wrote to one of his friends who arranged selling his pictures at the beginning February 1901: "I want to tell you that since I left Budapest I have been at home. My little wife arrived...The comfort is quite rustic but straight. There is food and drink to have but I still miss your good humour, which is so special about you. While I am painting, my brother is checking trains and chasing chicken. Lazarine (my wife) is picking up moral from Octave Mirabeau's latest 49