A Kassák Múzeum kiállítási katalógusai, kisebb kiadványai

Archaikus és modern. Válogatás Raum Attila gyűjteményéből

Archaic and Modern Gábor Ébli (art critic) Having begun his collection in the fields of ethnography and folk art, Attila Raum proceeded to naive artists, as well as to high-ranking contemporary artists with a penchant for archaic forms. His collection is thus unique in overwriting the categories of art history, and in boldly disregarding stylistic or chronological boundaries. His approach to art is also very personal. Although trained as an engineer, lie has preserved from early age to date his enthusiasm for film, and produced a number of documentaries on leading contemporary artists, such as El Kazovszkij, József Gaál and Péter Földi, from whose art his collection gives a wide overview. By getting to know these artists closely, he realised that friendship and personal credibility are just as important for him as the artworks. His collection is one of unusually forceful works, as much as of lasting human ties. Contrary to traditional Hungarian preference for painting, Raum focuses on various artistic forms, ranging from objects and boxes to graphics and small sculpture. It is an additional bonus of the present catalogue that it offers an insightful essay by one of the masters of object art, Sándor Zoltán. A further advantage of the collection is its insistence on early works, which are in many cases devoid of the mannerism developed by artists in their later career. Quite a few classic pieces (by Menyhért Tóth, György Román and others) complement the contemporary sections, implying the continuity of these dramatic, expressive patterns, mirrored frequently in the harshly strong, almost plastic brushstrokes. Whilst the motifs used are often strikingly non-urban (e. g. in the works by Imre Bukta), their relevance to everyday viewers and to an intellectual public alike is undeniable. Modern art is defined in this collection, therefore, less by mere dates or the stylistic resonance of well-known isms, but much rather by a belief that long-lasting issues still carry on haunting each individual, and that modernity is a condition facing us with the recognition that age-old queries of human existence go hand in hand with our rapid, technically modern life-style. Seen from this perspective, Raum's collection aims at international significance in an idiosyncratic way. Many of the artists represented here may boast lower acclaim abroad than other Hungarian contemporary painters, and yet this collection promises in the long run an equal universal appeal. Not necessarily in the art market - but certainly in the minds of those who come to see it.