Picasso exhibition exploring Hungarian connections to open in Szeged

A major exhibition exploring the relationship between Pablo Picasso and Hungarian visual artists will open June 20 at the Móra Ferenc Museum as part of the nationwide Night of Museums program.

The exhibition, titled “Dear Friend, Picasso!,” will run through the end of December and feature nearly 30 Picasso works, including paintings and ceramics, museum director Ottó Fogas announced at a press conference last week.

Organizers said the exhibition will focus not only on Picasso, but also on the Hungarian artists who worked with him, maintained friendships with him or influenced his artistic development during his years in Paris.

The exhibition will include works by several prominent Hungarian artists, including Vilmos Aba-Novák, Béla Czóbel, Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka, Ödön Márffy, Lajos Tihanyi, Róbert Berény and Lajos Szalay.

According to the museum, Picasso described Hungarian graphic artist Lajos Szalay as the greatest graphic artist of the 20th century.

Most of the Hungarian artworks will arrive from museums and public collections in Hungary, while Picasso pieces will be loaned from domestic and international collections as well as private collectors.

The exhibition will also feature immersive elements, including large-scale projected animations designed to surround visitors with the artworks rather than present them in a traditional gallery format. Organizers said the goal is to create an experience in which visitors “walk into the art” and become active participants in the exhibition.

Because Picasso’s monumental anti-war painting “Guernica” cannot be loaned, the museum will instead display a smaller-scale replica of the work.

The Móra Ferenc Museum has recently timed its largest annual exhibitions to coincide with Night of Museums, one of Hungary’s largest nationwide cultural events. This year’s Picasso exhibition will open to the public on June 20.

Photo and information source: Móra Ferenc Museum