Szilasi Ágota, H.: Víz - fény-szín-tér. Stílusvariációk egy technikára. Egri Országos Akvarell Biennálé 1968-2004 a Dobó István Vármúzeum kortárs akvarell gyűjteménye (Eger, 2006)

characterized the period. Thus „without being accused of being anything but original a substantial number of exhibitors smashed the basic and seemingly incontrovertible conventions to pieces," or so Attila Bükki wrote in his article about the 1992 exhibition. It was perhaps Éva Bajkay, however, who was most successful in putting the spirit of the age into context when she wrote in 1994: „The emergence of the watercolour, as is happening now during what is a period of flux, is, I believe, just one more example of how in periods of crisis the desire emerges simply to act and go for a quick reflex action." But it was just at this time during the political changes that both the exhibition organizers and the artists themselves had to contend with an insecure financial situation. Gone were the days of almost guaranteed success and generous financial support.

Interest in the exhibition continued. Despite the artists' difficulties, or perhaps indeed because of the reduction in the number of exhibiting opportunities open to them, more and more artists descended on the Eger biennials. Generally speaking as the event became less politically compromised, the standing of the biennial grew. Participation at the event and the validity of the prizes awarded (from an artistic point of view) were now more likely to lead to greater rewards and greater recognition. In 1992 the Society of Hungarian Watercolourists became involved in the exhibition thus giving the Eger biennial an even greater validity. Indeed the Society was very much a child of the Eger biennial. In 1990 the society enlisted the services of the biennials' most frequently represented and most successful participants, particularly previous prize-winners, and today it enjoys an independent existence, benefiting from foreign contacts, and coordinating a number of events which are involved in the promotion and exhibition of watercolours.

One also has to mention the fact that during the history of the Eger Watercolour Biennials the actual venue and the organizational conditions have always been a source of concern. Neither the organizers, the exhibiting artists, nor the visiting public can be satisfied with the venues which have been used up until now. The Géza Gárdonyi Theatre's glass foyer was badly lit, and although the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party's Educational Centre was better, its rooms weren't big enough. The 1992 and 1994 exhibitions were held at the Youth House (now The House of Arts) whose exhibiting

20