Prohászka László: Polish Monuments - Our Budapest (Budapest, 2001)

The Chopin monument in its final place in Gödöllő

However, in 1945 the interior of the Vigadó was completely burn out. Many works of art of inestimable worth perished in the fire, including the sculpted figure symbolising the Polish national dance, the Polonaise.

One of the public statues of Budapest with the most adventurous history is the Chopin monument. Its creator, Ede Margó, had made several memorial sculptures—most of them for provincial towns—in a style true to the Historicist Classicist trends prevalent around the turn of the century. He started working on the Chopin memorial in the 1920s. Conceived in the spirit and style of Art Nouveau he intended to commemorate both the Polish composer and the ravishing quality of his music. The drift of piano music is captured by the device of two almost ecstatic accessory figures of a male and a female nude. Elaborated with brilliant sculptural skill, they present a perfect embodiment of music. The joint effect of the two figures directs the viewer’s attention to the composer, who is purposefully placed somewhat in the background, striking the last tones on his piano.

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