Passuth Krisztina – Szücs György – Gosztonyi Ferenc szerk.: Hungarian Fauves from Paris to Nagybánya 1904–1914 (A Magyar Nemzeti Galéria kiadványai 2006/1)

FROM PARIS TO NAGYBÁNYA - PARIS - GERGELY BARKI: From the Julian Academy to Matisse's Free School

36 Barr mentioned that Brummer tried to make money working as a stoker for the studio: Barr 1951, 117. Brummer was also employed as a model in other Parisian free schools and in the studios of other Hungarians, see: Béla Czóbel's letter to Iván Dévényi, October 15, 1963, MTA M Kl, Inv. No.: MKCS-C-I159/469. 37 The most important evidence is the frequently reproduced photograph showing Perlrott, as the only Hungarian, among the students in Matisse's school. (Fig. 14) Alfred Barr, based on Carl Palme, thinks that the photo is from 1910: Barr 1951, 117. According to Palme, the picture was shot by Howarth, a German painter in October 1910. The date 1909 can be seen on one of the frayed and often reproduced prints of this photo. It is presumably the handwriting of a Scandinavian student. The photograph is in the holding of Nasjonalgalleriet, Oslo. Reproduced in e.g.: MatisseElevene op. cit. (Note 30), Cat. 2. Géza Bornemisza gave an account of being a pupil at Matisse's school in several letters, and in his possession there was a certificate issued by Matisse in 1909 verifying that the Hungarian painter went to his school. See: Pápai, Emese, "Bornemisza Géza festőművész fauve-os korszaka" [The Fauve Period of Géza Bornemisza, Painter], Művészettörténeti Értesítő, 2002, 3-4, 309-321. 38 In his letter to István Réti, Géza Bornemisza talks about spending the first months of 1908 in Matisse's school, MNG Archives, Inv. No.: 8242/1955. Perlrott stated, although with an inaccurate date, that he took part in founding the school: Perlrott 1929, 13. The Scandinavian, German and American founders do not mention the names of Perlrott and Bornemisza, but for example Jean Heiberg recalled that when he was admitted to the school in the winter of 1908, the number of pupils were about 12-15 and there were Hungarians among them. See: Leo Swane, Matisse, Oslo, 1950; English translation: Académie Matisse - Henri Matisse and his Nordic & American Pupils, New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture, 2001, 28. On Brummer's recollections of Matisse's school see: Barr 1951, 116, 118. About Brummer see also: Passuth, Krisztina, "A festő és modellje. Henri Rousseau: Joseph Brummer portréja (1909) Kép és recepció" [The Painter and His Model. Henri Rousseau: Portrait of Joseph Brummer (1909). A Picture and its Reception], Művészettörténeti Értesítő, 2002, 3-4, 225-249. 39 Valéria Dénes visited Matisse's school for two years: for more on this see: Dénes, Zsófia, Tegnapi új művészek [New Artists of Yesterday], Budapest, Kozmosz, 1974, 88 and Dénes, Zsófia, Galimberti Sándor és Dénes Valéria, Budapest, Corvina, 1979; Mezei, Ottó, "Les Galimberti, couple des artistes hongrois, des annes 1910", Acta Históriáé Artium, 1977, 3-4. Erzsébet Fejérváry is mentioned in the Almanach of Nemzeti Szalon as a Matisse student in 1912. Márta Ferentzy is referred to as a pupil of Matisse in Művészeti Lexikon [Dictionary of Arts], eds.: Éber, László - Gombosi, György, Budapest, Győző Andor, 1935. See: Dévényi, Iván, "Henri Matisse magyar kapcsolatai" [Hungarian Relations of Henri Matisse], Forrás, 1975, 10, 80. 40 In Ferenc Hatvany's recollections, the open days were held on Thursdays, in: Hatvány, Ferenc, "Paris. Látogatás Matisse-nál" [Paris. Visiting Matisse], Magyar Művészet, 1949, 1, 40. Max Weber also mentioned that Matisse corrected his pupils' work on Thursdays. Weber, op. cit. (Note 25), 99. Fridays and Saturdays were also suggested elsewhere (about this see Flam, op.cit. [Note 29], 492-493) as well as Sundays (Pariser Begegnungen 1904-1914, no page numbering). 41 The international art history literature usually refers to Basier, op. cit. (Note 20). For more on this in the Hungarian literature, see: Barki, Gergely, "Berény Róbert: Olasz lány aktja" [Nude of an Italian Girl], in: A modell 2004, 468-470, Note 5. 42 We know of two drawings inscribed as dating from 1908. 43 This assumption has been put forward by Ferenc Gosztonyi. 44 Popper mentioned Matisse in his publications and in his letters; to be precise, he mentioned that he was producing drawings in Paris. From one of his letters we learn that he sent in the winter of 1908 two Matisse lithographs to Georg Lukács's parents as a gift for the 25

,h anniversary of their wedding. See: Dialógus a művészetről. Popper Leó és Lukács György levelezése [Dialogue about Art. Correspondence of Leó Popper and Georg Lukács], Budapest, MTA Lukács Archívum, T-Twins, 1993, 255. See also: Popper, Leó, Esszék és kritikák [Essays and Reviews], Budapest, Magvető, 1983, 1 15-116, and Somhegyi, Zoltán, "Az önmagát szagoló illat kritikája. Popper Leó művészetfilozófiája és képzőművészeti alkotásai" [Evaluation of the Scent that Smells Itself. Leó Popper's Philosophy and Art], Ars Hungarica, 2005, 2, to be published. 45 For more details, see: Barki 2004, 462-468, Note 13. 46 E.g. Barr 1951, 117; Barr here misinterpreted Basler's writing, see: Basier, op. cit. (Note 20). 47 Twenty-five years later this is how Berthe Weill wrote about Czóbel in relation to the young Hungarian painter's exhibition in 1908: "Trés inspiré de Matisse, dont il suit les enseignements á son académie, je le crois trés doué." Weill 1933, 148. 48 The green in the background also supports this theory, as Matisse also mentions a green wallpaper. See: "Matisse speaks to his students", 1908, Notes by Sarah Stein, in: Barr 1951, 552. 49 Einar Jolins's painting is also only known from the old photograph showing Rudolf Levy in Einar Jolins's studio, reproduced in: Pariser Begegnungen 1904-1914, no page numbering. 50The tableau may have featured the photos of the Chartres Cathedral, which were mentioned by Henrik S0rensen as the only decoration on the walls of the school. See: Swane, op.cit. (Note 38) 51 Reproduced: Matisse-Elevene, op. cit. (Note 30), cover of the Catalogue. 52 Reproduced in: Die Große Inspiration, op. cit. (Note 16), Cat. 21. 53 Reproduced in: Pariser Begegnungen 1904-1914, no page numbering; and Klüver - Martin, op. cit. (Note 24), 41. 54Reproduced in: Matisse-Elevene, op. cit. (Note 30), Cat. 23. 55 Reproduced in: Ahlers-Hestermann, Friedrich: "Der Deutsche Künstlerkreis des Café du Dome in Paris", Kunst und Künstler, 1918, 372. 561 would like to take this opportunity to thank Emese Pápai for allowing me to see the photograph. 57 "We are photographed together with Mikola, myself and Brummer," remembered the painter decades later: Béla Horváth's interview with Géza Bornemisza, manuscript in private collection. 58 Magyar művészek Párizsban, op. cit. (Note 14); see also: Bornemisza, op. cit. (Note 13), 62; see also: András Mikola's letter to István Réti from Paris, 12 January, 1907. MNG, Archives, Inv. No.: 12825/1959. 59Horváth's interview with Géza Bornemisza, op. cit. (Note 57) 60 Magyar művészek Párizsban, op.cit. (Note 14) 61 Several Hungarian painters met with Leo Stein in relation to the nude schools, although it is important to mention the friendship between Max Weber and Róbert Berény. Although Weber and Berény were not in the same time at the Julian (Berény left the school sooner), through the other Hungarian students the painter met Berény and their mutual interest in music led to a deep friendship. Max Weber warmly recollected the years spent together, reminiscing at length and in great detail about the memories of a long friendship. See: Szij, Béla, "Berény Róbert életútja gyermekéveitől a berlini emigrációig" [The Life of Róbert Berény from Childhood until Emigrating to Berlin], Bulletin de la Galerie Nationale Hongroise, 1963, 114-115. 62 Of all the Hungarians, Vilmos Perlrott Csaba had the closest ties with Picasso. See Horváth Béla, "Matisse... szívesen kiállítana nálunk... Picasso hasonlóan nyilatkozott... (Perlroth Csaba Vilmos [sic!] és Bornemisza Géza ismeretlen levele)" [Matisse... would like to have an exhibition in Hungary... Picasso expressed the same view... (Unknown letter of Vilmos Perlroth Csaba [sic!] and Géza Bornemisza), Műgyűjtő, 1973, 2, 38-39.