Sz. Kürti katalin: Munkácsy-ereklyék és dokumentumok a békéscsabai múzeumban. Második, javított, átdolgozott kiadás (A Békés Megyei Múzeumok Közleményei 29. Békéscsaba, 2006)

MUNKÁCSY'S RELICS AND DOCUMENTS IN THE MUSEUM OF BÉKÉSCSABA SUMMARY One of the greatest Hungarian painters was born as Mihály Lieb in Munkács, on 20

th February 1844. He became an orphan early and lived at his uncle, István Reök in Békéscsaba. He used the Munkácsi or Munkácsy sign-manual already on his first paintings. He started to draw in his childhood, and Elek Szamossy wandering painter paved the way for him. After his short study in Vienna, he attended the Academy of Painting in Munich, and then he worked in Düsseldorf. From here, he sent his painting entitled "Condemned cell" to the Salon Parisienne. With this work, he won one gold medal of the Salon of 1870 year. From 1871, he lived in Paris, and after his marriage with baron de Marches' widow, he stayed frequently in Colpach of Luxemburg. In 1878 with the "Milton", then in the '80s with his Christ paintings he had great success all over Europe. John Wanamaker a millionaire of Philadelphia bought two Christ paintings. These works got home in the 1990s as deposit. After his death in 1900, his widow sold several paintings to the Nemzeti Múzeum (Hungarian National Museum). Following her death, her heir C. von Barnewitz sent the relics and documents to Budapest. His personal belongings, painting tools, articles of folk art, models for the most part came to Békéscsaba, to the Munkácsy Museum named after him. A part of the documents, books and photos got to the Szépművészeti Múzeum (Museum of Fine Arts) as well to the photo archives of the Nemzeti Múzeum. In 1994 on the 150 Anniversary of the painter's birth, the Munkácsy Museum published an inventory of relics and documents, and then several books and catalogues (see bibliography). They renewed Munkácsy's commemorative exhibition on several occasions and arranged temporary exhibitions from the relic and document collection material every 2-3 years. They lend regularly the Hungarian and foreign museums, and recently, in December 2004, they exhibited their Munkácsy collection in the Hungarian Institute of Paris. The Munkácsy paintings, relics and documents of the Museum of Békéscsaba draw a worthy picture of the painter and his works. From the photo collection, not only the Hungarian but also the European (A. Braun, Nadar studio, Disderi, Dragon) and the American (Mora, Ketskeméthy) photographs are renowned. Translated by István Lányi 111