Csornay Boldizsár - Dobos Zsuzsa - Varga Ágota - Zakariás János szerk.: A Szépművészeti Múzeum közleményei 97. (Budapest, 2002)

NÉMETH, ISTVÁN: A Generous Gift or a Healthy Compromise? Some Contributions to the Background of the Donation of a Painting by El Greco

after the Paris sale. Taking all these into account, it seems to be odd that while Nemes, one of the "discoverers" and the greatest European collector of the Spanish master's work, failed to sell or donate any of his several paintings by El Greco to the Hungarian state in the early 1910s, he was willing to act conversely in 1921, by which time he had virtually established himself in Munich and owned much fewer works by his "protégé"'.

9 Or may we assume that the donation of The Penitent Magdalen was by no means more or less than just another spectacular manifestation of the wellknown generous patronage of Marcell Nemes? A letter by him to Elek Petrovics (fig. 59), dated July 12, 1921, in which the collector informs the director of the Museum of Fine Arts of the motives and circumstances of the donation of the discussed painting, appears to reinforce this assumption (fig. 60):

10 59. Elek Petrovics "My highly honoured dear Friend, Concerning my recent Greco gift, I feel it necessary to provide You, my Friend, who had always been in the most immediate sympathy with my aspirations, with a more detailed exposition on the motives of my deed. Keeping the noblest end ceaselessly in view, to wit to serve my nation either directly or indirectly, I kept on giving tokens of my attitude time and again. My collection is the offspring of my decade-long efforts; and still I did not hesitate for a moment before giving away the most eminent piece of it in order to add a major work that is recognized all over the world to our nation's cultural assets for ever. Although sooner or later this deed would have been done anyway, the very fact that it would be you, my Friend, who would be the recipient of my picture on behalf of the nation lent topicality to my resolution, and thus this exceptional event would be linked 9 It has to be noted that the idea of purchasing the Nemes collection recurred time and time again during the early 1910s but was finally abandoned. It is symptomatic that the Hungarian state did not attempt acquiring the significant pieces at the 1913 sale, either. If we would like to get a realistic view however we must take into account that the general attitude (as it is manifest in the memoranda of Ede Balló from ca. 1911) was by far not so unanimously enthusiastic towards the Grecos of Nemes. See: Ybl, E., Ballá Ede naplója és levelei, 1954, 174-175. 10 Autograph letter by Marcell Nemes, Archives of the Museum of Fine Arts, file no. 627/1921