Exhibition by painter Andrea Papageorgiu on view at REÖK through November 23

NewsCulture

Oct 27

Andrea Papageorgiu exhibition at REÖK Szeged

The East of Eden (Az Édentől keletre) exhibition by contemporary painter Andrea Papageorgiu remains on view at the Regional Arts Center (REÖK) in Szeged through November 23. The large-scale show features more than 70 works, tracing two decades of the Hungarian artist’s career.

Presented across the second floor of the Reök Palace, the exhibition showcases Papageorgiu’s vibrant color palette and her distinctive approach to capturing the beauty of everyday life. Her work is marked by bold color contrasts, strong figurative focus, and a deeply personal yet relatable perspective.

East of Eden provides a comprehensive examination of Papageorgiu’s artistic evolution from 2005 to the present. The selection includes early oil paintings, smaller panel works, and later watercolors, mixed-media pieces, and enamel works. The collection was assembled with contributions from private collectors and public institutions, including the Tornyai János Museum in Hódmezővásárhely.

A leading figure among the generation of painters who emerged after 2000, Papageorgiu is well known to Szeged audiences as a regular participant in REÖK’s Painting Biennales and Summer Exhibitions.

According to Dr. Róbert Nátyi, art historian, chief curator of REÖK, and dean at the Béla Bartók Faculty of Arts at the University of Szeged, the exhibition presents the artist’s creative path from energetic, contrast-filled compositions toward a more lyrical, contemplative expression. Nátyi compared her art to that of Paul Cézanne, emphasizing the painterly balance between deep reflection and the fleeting nature of life.

Papageorgiu has described East of Eden as a reflection on the search for happiness — a theme she sees as central to modern life. “For me, East of Eden isn’t about Steinbeck’s novel,” she said at the exhibition opening. “It’s about the belief that Eden is often closer than we think.”

The exhibition opened on the Day of Hungarian Painting and included a musical performance, with cellist Piroska Baranyay playing excerpts from J. S. Bach’s Cello Suite in G major.

East of Eden is open to visitors every week from Tuesday to Sunday until November 23 at REÖK, inviting them to explore the distinctive visual world of one of contemporary Hungarian painting’s most influential voices.