Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 20. (Budapest, 2001)

Zsuzsa GONDA: Walter Crane's Visit to Budapest in the Context of Museums' Acquisitions

timent. Within two years of delivering his welcoming speech in which he expressed his deep admiration for Crane, the same Gyula Wlasics addressed Parliament in a speech embracing the idea of a "Hungarian style" and denouncing the rapid spread of Art Nouveau. Naturally, his stay, which was less than a month long, was insufficient for Crane to appraise clearly the situation in Hungary. As most foreign visitors, he was surprised to see how nationalist sentiment accompanied the country's aspirations for independence. He failed to understand that Hungary's interest in folk art was a function of the country's search for national identity. To him folk art was the realisation of Ruskin's and Morris's ideals. Nevertheless, the enthusiastic comments made by the English guest on the embroideries and costumes of Kalotaszeg, and on archaic ornament in general were perceived here as the vindication of the local artists' endeavours to create a distinctly Hungarian style. Ignoring for the moment the stylistic influence exerted here by Crane's work, enough has been said to show the role Crane's visit played in the cultural life of Hungary. But it is also worth examining what the master himself, who was in his fifties, expected from the Budapest exhibition. Crane brought a rich and varied collection to Hungary (picture 1). According to the catalogue issued by the Museum of Applied Arts, the exhibition featured tapestries, embroideries, illustrated books, plaster reliefs, and designs for mosaics and stained glass as well as Crane's watercolours. A significant proportion of the collection exhibited was for sale.

7 There was no dearth of verbal appreciation, and Crane himself had only pleasant memories to recall in his 1907 memoirs. However, in a letter written to Kálmán Rozsnyay on his return home from Budapest, he made no bones about giving vent to his disappointment. He was dissatisfied with the proceeds of the exhibition, as he had expected more than the 9,340 Hungarian crowns that the event had yielded.

8 The artist, who was frequently pestered by financial problems, also reminded Rozsnyay that he had not received any royalties for his Kalotaszeg drawings published in the magazine Új Idők either, adding that in England he would have been amply remunerated for the job. To understand the background of Walter Crane's dissapointment it is necessary to examine the consideration that informed acquisition policies in 1900. Pieces from the Budapest Crane exhibition ended up in private collections (e.g. that of György Rath) and museums alike. As the period was one of specialisation for collections, Crane's best hopes lay with the Museum of Applied Arts. It was possibly for this reason that he donated one of his best known works, the woodcut entitled Triumph of Labour, to the Museum.

9 The purchases made by the Museum of Applied Arts at the 1900 exhibition amounted to the value of 1,992 crowns and consisted mainly of illustrations, but the itemised inventory includes a wallpaper and a ceramic piece, too.

10 There were, however, insufficient funds for the Museum the acquire a design for a mosaic frieze. Of the 1900 acquisitions, only four drawings made for the illustration of books can actually be found in the Museum's collection to date.

11 Reflected in the choice made by the Museum is the contemporary assessment of Crane in Hungary, and also internationally, in that it was his work as a graphic artist, and particularly as an illustrator of books, that had earned him the greatest recognition. "His drawings, book-ornaments and, above all, his illustrations made for juvenile literature are the most precious of [Crane's] works," observed Károly Lyka, one of Hungary's leading art critics.

12 In 1900, the Museum of Fine Arts, where ten works by Walter Crane are kept today, only existed on paper. The institution established by the Millennial Act was enriched at the turn of the century with acquisitions made by its legal predecessor, the National Picture Gallery (Országos Képtár), itself founded upon the procurement of the Esterházy-collection. The systematic collection of modern pieces was begun by Gábor Térey, who had given up his position as a private-docent at the University of Freiburg for the sake of the National Picture Gallery. One of his main tasks was to modernise the sec-