A Merics gyűjtemény, 2002

12 mately eighty contemporar)' masters above the artists specifically representing popular art. To look for seven of these names is in vain in the encyciopaedia, which has been publishcd recently and which cannot be regarded ungenerous. The resuh is evén morc terrible if we try to looic up the artists of the Merics CoUection in 'Hungárián Fine Árts in the 20th Century' with three volumes, which has alsó been published by Corvina recently (It was organized by Gábor Andrási, György Szűcs and András Zwickly) Thirty-five names out of the almost eighty cannot be found in it. In the missing ones we can fmd somé really significant artist-craftsmen whose trade was dealt with more harshly than it was necessary by the four authors, so there are somé examples who might not have been omitted from another selection, having somé undoubtedly gifted young ones among them, and there are several so called local artists, whose name and popularity (worthily or unworthily) does not really cross the borders of the confined region of Baranya, Tolna and Zala counties and the countryside where Imre Merics feels at home the most. Though this is not a problem, and it is alsó not a problem either that the collectors, just liké other people, make mistakes. The picture of the book and the collection is complete in this way, it gains the attcntion of the reader and the audience. If you like, what you can see here is nothing but art history from a 'bottom-view', contemporary Hungárián art, as the veterinarian in Tormás has discovered it for himself It is very exciting to see the process in itself, which started with collecting the folk art of the neighbourhood, to lead to the most significant masters of the last half of the century, such as to Dezső Korniss, Ferenc Martyn, Tihamér Gyarmathy just like the best artists of the generation foUowing them, to Ilona Keserű, Imre Bak, István Nádler, Sándor Pinczehelyi, Tamás Hencze, and íurther on to László Mulasics, Károly Halász and to somé others. This has been a üst of artists who belong together according to every consideration of art history so far Though Imre Merics could alsó turn his attention to somé other directions, the most beautiful paintings of Viola Berki, who is far away from this trend, may be found in Tormás. There is alsó the rich cross-section of the life-work of Tamás Kovács, who died at quite an early age. Let's think of the incredibly complete üst of the boxes and paintings of Péter Ujházy, just to mention three masters, whose ambition and style differ from each other's very much, though all of them are significant masters of art history. You cannot deny that the overall picture of the collection of Imre Merics is similar to the thing which we used to 'decry' as 'popular fronf among ourselves. This time, though, it is not what it seems. 'Popular fronf meant careflil compromises lacking principles. Opposing to this Imre Merics chooses works of art and artists with rare frankness and honesty and without any thought at the back of his mind. What he likes, he really loves, and this opeimess makes his priváté art history genuine and remarkably thoughtful for us. Péter Kovács