Fraternity-Testvériség, 2009 (87. évfolyam, 1-3. szám)
2009-01-01 / 1. szám
FOUNDER, SUSAN G. KOMÉN FOR THE CURE® CHAMPIONS HUNGARIAN ART poetic sensibility and often a sense of humor and a complexity that are the unmistakable hallmarks of Central European art. Spanning the period from the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the present, my collection reflects Hungary's tumultuous past and highlights historic, and, in some cases, dire epochs. The first picture I acquired was Vilmos Aba-Novák's watercolor of the New York skyline in 1935. It's the mirror image of my own journey because it shows America as seen through the eyes of a Hungarian artist. I am also particularly fond of the representatives of the Szentendre group, active since the 1930's and named after the village of their residence. They include Lajos Vajda, Endre Bálint, and Lili Ország. Then too, I am particularly proud of having such an artistically and historically significant work as László Moholy-Nagy's early Self Portrait (1919) which occupies a place in the international history of modernism that many other Hungarian artists deserve. Although my collection is still a work-in-progress, I'm eager to share my excitement about these works and to give visibility to modern Hungarian art which deserves much more study and appreciation." As the Honorable Mrs. Brinker graciously offered a tour of her acquired works along with her personal comments on each, she admitted that her favorite was János Vaszary's 1905 portrait of Countess Ilona Batthyány, a Hungarian woman born into the aristocracy, who supported and celebrated the arts. Brinker explained, "The overriding feature is the darkness of the background as she sits in her library. The look on her face captivated me because her expression holds fear of the coming years but in the midst of that is the feeling that something else more positive will happen. Batthyány, too, was a supporter of women's health causes, and her face says, 'I've seen it all,' but her countenance holds the wisdom of her years. In many ways, this painting reminds me of my own mother and I never view it without thinking of her optimism oftentimes in the face of insurmountable odds." The tutelage and influence of art collector István Rozsics was apparent throughout the event. Rozsics had worked with Denver, CO art collectors Jill Wiltse and Kirk Brown in creating their own collection (previously featured in an issue of the Fraternity-Testveriseg). Rozsics, historian, consultant and art dealer who worked for Sotheby's in Budapest, met Ms. Brinker in 2001 and guided her selections until his untimely and unexpected death in 2008. His words of dedication to Ambassador Brinker in the art catalog are especially poignant: "In the days when people everywhere were focused on the destructive power of humankind and on the unholy alliances that had unleashed terrorist attacks, Ambassador Brinker's small inspiration started people thinking about the power and beauty of art. She got everyone working together to create this collection to honor the vision of artists and the culture from which they had sprung. People fell in love with her, especially the painters, and with what she was trying to do. Here I was dealing with a person who asked questions and wanted to learn; she wanted to know everything. She asked questions about the Treaty of the Trianon, about the Nagybánya Artists' Colony, and the Hungarian Post-Impressionism. She wanted to know about Károly Ferenczy and why his paintings were so scarce. She asked for the stories of his fantastic twins, Naomi, the tapestry maker, and Benjamin, the sculptor. Her questions were profound, direct, and logical, and she was not afraid to ask them. Through many lengthy phone calls, feverish internet communications, and intensive investigations of auction records, she uncovered the secrets of the art world, and I was learning as well. The tour of this collection throughout the U.S. and later in Europe is the satisfying and heartwarming result of years of difficult work, but there is a sadness too. The FRATERNITY - TESTVÉRISÉG 9
