Fraternity-Testvériség, 2008 (86. évfolyam, 1-3. szám)
2008-07-01 / 3. szám
FEATURE Q. Once you bring a piece back to the U.S., how do you insure the piece, house it, display it, or move it to a gallery opening? A. We use Chubb Insurance, we display it in our house, and if moving it, crate it in a wooden crate after wrapping each piece in a soft, protective padding such as bubble-wrap. Q. From your extensive collection, how did you choose just what pieces to bring to Santa Fe? Did people like Nancy Brinker and curator Shelby help you? A. Our curator, Shanna Shelby, picked all of the pieces to go into the exhibition, and we concurred with her choices. In this exhibition, Nancy Brinker did not lend any pieces, so, on this occasion, she was not involved in the selection process. Q. What kind of support have you received from the Ambassadors, the embassy staff, and U.S. Hungarians? A. A great deal of moral and enthusiastic congratulatory support, which we have much appreciated. Q. You both exhibit a passion, are extremely knowledgeable, and hire experts and curators to guide you, but what long- range plans for further collecting do you have or for further Hungarian art appreciation efforts? Will you continue to collect but broaden your range beyond 1935? A. We hope that our exhibition efforts in Santa Fe might lead to further exhibitions elsewhere. We will certainly support further exhibitions in the future. We will continue to collect and maybe expand the time period of our collecting interest, but the period from 1890 to 1935 will remain our favorite, so we probably will continue to collect in this period. Q. When my husband and I last visited Hungary, there were multiple high-end art shows and gallery openings in Budapest. What is your reaction to the current art scene in Hungary? A. It is a very active and well developed market. Very exciting to be part of. Q. Will you be taking your collection to other venues in the US-particularly to Washington and perhaps the embassy or to the Hungarian Reformed Federation’s Kossuth House on Massachusetts Ave.? A. We hope to and are working on ideas now, and we shall see what develops. Q. Can you compare the response you’ve received in Santa Fe, since it is the hub of Native American art, to the Denver show in 2006 of your Hungarian art? A. Both venues had enthusiastic responses and turnouts. We hope that continues in future venues. Q. Russian art collector and philanthropist Marjorie Meriwether Post (of Post cereal fortune and fame) wrote, “Once the ‘desire’ is there and the seeds of the thrill of the search are sown, the collector is on his way.” I can’t help but think of you both when I recall that statement. Do you see this ‘addiction’ for collecting Hungarian art continuing throughout your lives? If so, what will eventually happen to all your “treasures’-perhaps your own museum or permanent display at the embassy? Share with us your long-range plans since some works took so long to acquire or have become pieces difficult to part with. A. Another good question. We are not sure at this point, and are regularly discussing this topic. With no children to name as heirs, the Browns have not yet decided what to do with their Hungarian art collection. Among the possibilities are selling it back in Hungary or giving it to a museum. For now, they are loaning the works to venues such as this Santa Fe show to help introduce Americans to Hungarian art. The collectors hope that their exhibition in Santa Fe will ultimately lead to a major exhibition of Hungarian art in major cities of the US. Guests at the Santa Fe showing came from Canada, Budapest, Germany, and from all parts of the U.S. Eugene F. Megyesy, Jr., Honorary Consul General of Hungary, praised Brown and Wiltse for their former 2006 show held in Denver where he resides. Former U.S. Ambassador to Hungary, Nancy Brinker, sent her curator, Barbara Rogoff, to represent her as Ms. Brinker was in Russia accompanying President Bush on his talks with former President Putin. Professor Steven Mansbach commented that the “risk taking of the show’s painters can 20 FALL 2008
