Hungarian Conservative

‘Picture writer’ is the old name for a painter, a term used by Benczúr to describe himself, even officially, for example when signing a contract of sale of an estate. ‘By choosing Gyula Benczúr’s self-definition as the main title of the exhibition, we want to draw visitors’ attention to the fact that the exhibition offers new approaches to his oeuvre through a “re-reading” of the works of art and primary written and pictorial sources,’ says curator Evelin Páll.

With his monumental canvases, Munkácsy conquered the whole world. Following huge success in Europe and America, he worked on immortalizing the Hungarian conquest.

On the occasion of the 180th anniversary of the birth of the great 19th century painter Mihály Munkácsy, the municipality of Békéscsaba and the cultural institutions of the Munkácsy Quarter are organizing a year-long series of festivities.

The 92-year-old Munkácsy Prize-winning painter, while building upon the legacy of his Nagybánya predecessors, has also reflected on the historical tragedies of the 20th century in his art.