In the footsteps of bygone times
In conjunction with the exhibition of the life's work of Lajos Gulácsy, we present a chamber exhibition of the artist and his student Dezső Fáy, as well as their writer friend Arthúr Keleti. The exhibition features around 120 works - 25 paintings and watercolours, almost 40 prints and 50 lithographs and woodcuts. The artworks are accompanied by a rich collection of documents, manuscripts, photographs, prints, books and personal memories.
Schedule
Opening concurrently with the exhibition of Lajos Gulácsy's oeuvre, the chamber exhibition presents the art of the artist and his student Dezső Fáy (1888-1954), and their writer friend Arthúr Keleti (1889-1969). Through the works of art, bibliophilic publications and documents resulting from the collaboration between the three artists, visitors will gain a comprehensive insight into the interconnection between the new Hungarian literature and fine arts, which was inspired by the awe of the picturesque moods, and the cultural and historical significance of the cult of Italy and Dante of the period.
Lajos Gulácsy and Dezső Fáy had an extraordinary fascination with the Italy of bygone times. After they met in 1909, they became inseparable friends, touring Italy's medieval cities and visiting its picturesque countryside, rich in ancient monuments, on several occasions. In 1909, their works from their travels were shown in a joint exhibition in Budapest. The former relationship between master and pupil was recalled by the symbolist poet Arthur Keleti, who in the early 1920s was looking for an illustrator for his new poem Pax vobiscum, a work dedicated to Gulácsy and dealing with his memories of Padua. Keleti finally commissioned Dezső Fáy to create the illustrations for the work, which later became an international success. Fáy had by this time already become artistically independent of Gulácsy and became one of the most important figures in Hungarian graphic art between the two world wars.
In 2017, the young Fáy's collection of 100 drawings, showing the strong influence of the master, was acquired by the Hungarian National Gallery's graphic art collection. A comprehensive selection of these works is on display for the first time. The illustrations included in the exhibition, including woodcuts for Dante's Divina Commedia, are representative of Fáy's spectacularly evolving illustration career, which is popular with critics and art book lovers alike.
The exhibition is curated by Júlia Vargyas, Ferenc Zsákovics