A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve: Studia Ethnographica 5. (Szeged, 2005)

N. Szabó Magdolna: Bálint Sándor tárgy- és dokumentumgyűjteményéről és az emlékkiállításról a centenárium ürügyén

CSANÁLOSI Lilla (sajtó alá rendezte) 1997 Breviárium. Mandala kiadó, Szeged MAGYAR KATOLIKUS LEXIKON I., Szent István Társulat, Budapest 1993. RÓNAI Béla 2001 Bálint Sándorra emlékezem. Kulcs a muzsikához kiadó, Pécs N. SZABÓ Magdolna 2004 Hagyaték és kiállítás - Bálint Sándor születésének 100. évfordulóján. In: N. Szabó Magdolna (szerk.): „A legszögedibb szögedi", Móra Ferenc Múzeum, Szeged, 8-34. SZACSVAY Éva 2002 Egyházi gyűjtemények. In: Fejős Zoltán szerk.: A néprajzi Múzeum gyűjteményei. Néprajzi Múzeum, Budapest, 403-432. SZILÁRDFY Zoltán 2003 Ikonográfia - kultusztörténet. Balassi kiadó, Budapest Presenting the Article and Document Collection of Sándor Bálint and the Memorial Exhibition by MAGDOLNA N. SZABÓ On the centenary of the birth of the ethnologist, university professor of Szeged, Sándor Bálint (1904-1980), the Móra Ferenc Museum maintaining his bequest contributed to the celebrations by organizing the memorial exhibition entitled "The Most Principal Citizen of Szeged". The material of the exhibition presents the course of life and work of a significant scientific personality of the end of the century carrying out pioneering work on the field of "religious ethnology". The material of the exhibition was based on his bequest. After describing the collection itself, we intioduce the conception and process of executing the memorial exhibition. The main material including several different genres consists of archival documents (letters, collections, notes, manuscripts) and different types of articles. Besides ethnological articles (such as furniture, pottery, painted Easter eggs, mining bottles, pilgrims' souvenirs, votive objects, offerings) paintings, sacred pictures, as well as prayer books and hymnbooks may be found. The articles of paper are mainly religious leaflets, sacred pictures, chapbooks, prayers. 'Klosterarbeit' from the 18

th century. Baroque relics, as well as masterpieces of contemporary art are of special value. We had selected from these objects to create an exhibition that may present this extremely rich material, emphasizing Sándor Bálint'

s course of life, its most significant chapters and the most valuable pieces of his collection. We had also reconstructed his study using his personal belongings preserved in his bequest. The high quality photograph exhibition of Miklós Lantos, photographer from Pécs, is also situated in the same exhibition hall. Through his pictures, the photographer remembers his onetime common research trips with Sándor Bálint, when they intended to map the relics of religious building in the area of Transdanubia. The exhibition entitled "The Most Principal Citizen of Szeged" remembers, praises, teaches and provides experience. It aims at outlining Sándor Bálint's character for those, who may know him only from books, as well as presenting his personality in his students, admirers and the citizens of Szeged. The exhibition was opened by Dr. Zsuzsanna Erdélyi, being also an outstanding figure of present day ethnology in Hungary and abroad. We consider it important to publish Dr Erdélyi's opening speech in full. 20