Czére Andrea szerk.: A Szépművészeti Múzeum közleményei 102-103. (Budapest, 2005)
ANNUAL REPORT 2005 - A 2005. ÉV - ANNA JÁVOR: Pictures within Pictures: The Artist and the Public over Five Centuries of Graphic Art from Burgkmair to Picasso
the pre-war period, labelled with the name of Edit Hoffman. The high-quality series is an indispensable tool in the teaching of art history and serves as the basis of programmes introducing different techniques and artistic periods in graphic art, but the richness of the collection also gives room to rewarding curatorial performance and to the organisation of thematic showings. Such was the Dream exhibition of Szilvia Bodnár, and now Zsuzsa Gonda has also realised a similarly philosophical approach, with a topic that exploits art theories, and fortunately the exhibition could be inserted into the tight program of the museum preparing for its centenary. As so often before, it proved true on this occasion as well, that the most suitable space for graphic exhibitions is the hall originally designed for this purpose at the planning of the museum by Albert Schikedanz and Ede ToroczkaiWigand. This hall, when the works on display are arranged well, provides the viewer with the possibility of intimately contemplating individual artworks, as well as discovering the wider correspondences between them. The exhibition was a stimulating experience, the viewer advancing through the hall with a curiosity of "What could come next?" —and could learn a great deal from the clever comments to the pieces. I would also like to express my appreciation for the booklet made for children, available —just as in Western Europe —for just one euro. For the more demanding "amateurs" and for the scholarly community, the catalogue presented a thorough and useful reference work, well beyond the limits originally set for exhibition guides. The impressive essay of Zsuzsa Gonda is almost a short book in itself. The catalogue reads extremely well, while the quoted literature with further bibliography provide a starting point for future enquiries. The secondary literature bears testimony to just how much this topic is "in the air", and how the Budapest exhibition was in line with other highly ranked events abroad. The exhibition could also refer to some great predecessors from the Museum itself, to Andor Pigler or to János György Szilágyi, in its art historical introspection, in an endeavour that received the Opus Mirabile award of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Anna Jávor
