Fraternity-Testvériség, 2009 (87. évfolyam, 1-3. szám)
2009-01-01 / 1. szám
FOUNDER, SUSAN G. KOMÉN FOR THE CURE® CHAMPIONS HUNGARIAN ART collection, like a child, has grown up, matured, and now with an independent life of its own, seems not to need me anymore. Thank, you, Ambassador Brinker, for an opportunity and an accomplishment that have enriched my life." István Rozsics' legacy is apparent in Brinker's collection and a tribute to the Rozsics-Brinker collaboration hangs at the entrance to the collection under the title "Hungarian Modernism from the Nancy G. Brinker Collection" in which Brinker repeatedly praises Rozsics for his knowledge. She admitted that his spirit was present at this event. Surprisingly, photography was also included in the exhibit, small prints André Kertész photographed during a thirteen-year period (1912- 1925), that show the first signs of Kertész's modern vision which became known as the "Hungarian Contacts." Kertész experimented with his camera and learned to effectively use film, light and lens. From the prints, viewers can see his lifelong obsession with distortions and shadow. Despite their tiny format, the compositions are strong enough to convey insight and emotion. They are playful and especially important because his daring and growing skill contrasts with his later work in New York (1936-1985) which was mostly known for its melancholy. Ms. Brinker's comment about Kertész's inclusion in her exhibit was, "I collect photography that I don't exhibit very often because so much is so tragic, and this shows another aspect to Hungarian art." Nancy Brinker's son, Eric, admitted these photographs are his favorite pieces in the collection. He said, "They shock audiences because they are so powerful in spite of their small size, and I was involved in the process of purchasing them. For three summers, my mother and I learned about the different periods in Hungarian history and the upheavals and challenges portrayed in such works. Now, since I live in New York, I'm drawn to the contemporary and young artists, and because of my mother's efforts, I'm putting together my own collection of mostly avant- garde, interactive, and installation art of modern artists who aren't well known now, but will be." Éva Forgács, Ambassador Brinker's curator and catalog author, credits Brinker with being Hungary's cultural ambassador to the U.S. as she invites Americans to explore Hungarian painting and through it, learn of a particular segment of Central European life and history. She said, “Even though these artists attended schools in Germany and Paris, the end result is something specific. There is a more severe tone, more austerity, and more complexity with color with roots in Hungarian folk art. The works of these living painters in present-day Hungary is the most eloquent proof of the energy of Hungarian art." The exhibition's audience provided further proof that American audiences related to the pieces and were excited about what they were viewing. Dr. Martin L. Bell, a plastic surgeon from Phoenix, said, "I first came to this exhibit by myself when it first opened as I had never before seen uniquely Hungarian art, and parts of it revealed the old Austro-Hungarian empire before its fall. Gallery-goers in Phoenix are curious because this is a new and different art that's unique. Like Mrs. Brinker, I would have to say that my favorite is the 1905 oil on canvas portrait of Countess Ilona Batthyány by János Vaszary because she personifies Hungary's complex history. She was the daughter of Gyula Andrássy, Prime Minister of Hungary after the 1867 Compromise with the Habsburgs and was married to Count Lajos Batthyány, the grandson of Hungary's very first Prime Minister who had been executed by the Habsburgs in 1849 for failing to compromise Hungarian independence and stepping up against the Habsburgs. Countess Batthyány was one of the earliest philanthropists in Hungary, an art lover, a public figure, and a generous sponsor of several charitable organizations supporting women and children. Beside, János Vaszary was probably the most popular painter ever in Hungary." Louis Stern, Los Angeles gallery owner and collector, commented that the quality of the exhibit was outstanding because some of the pieces were quite rare, especially the work by Béla Uitz who gave voice to the suffering and oppressed. Stern said, "During World War I, he represented the pain and tragedy of the soldiers and their families with compassion. His ink-on-paper "Sitting Woman" (1918) composition turns the mundane figure of a woman into a colossal, symbolic, working- class Madonna because her features are strong and her form is robust like that of a goddess of antiquity, which is what the artist intended. Uitz was one of the militant avant-garde circle of artists active in Budapest on the eve of Hungary's short-lived Socialistic era. Over all, it's apparent that these pieces in this exhibit were collected by someone who gave the collection a great deal of thought-it wasn't just slapped together. The depth and power of the figures in the compositions reflect periods of history. For example, Béla Kádár's "Ladies in Front of a Green Background" shows the art deco style of the 1930's that appealed to the urban, moderately modernist, educated upper-middle classes, Kádár's most faithful audience. Although influenced by cubism and Marc Chagall during the early '20's, Kádár went on from romanticizing life in the Hungarian countryside to the stylized, exotic and erotic fantasy art deco lines of the '30's." Beth-Ann Lee, Art for the Cure Project Manager from Susan G. Komén for the Cure headquarters in Dallas, TX echoed the view that these works represent fascinating historical Hungarian eras. She said, "Although 10 SPRING 2009
