Munkácsy exhibition in the Móra Ferenc Museum, Szeged

World-wide famous Munkácsy paintings can be seen in Szeged's Móra Ferenc Museum this month. You can admire 41 renowned paintings, many of them haven't been exhibited in Hungary yet. Actors of the Szeged Theatre revive Munkácsy's life, you can visit the shows in July. In the great hall of the Museum you can see the 36 m2 big painting of Munkácsy, the Golgotha.

Munkácsy Mihály can be proclaimed Hungary's greatest and most well-known painter. He lived in Paris and earned international reputation with his amazing genre and biblical paintings. He was born to German parents in the Kingdom of Hungary, in Munkács, the town of which he later named himself. He was quite influenced by the modern French art seen at the Universal Exposition in 1867.

In the early years of his career Munkácsy painted mainly scenes from the daily lives of peasants and poor people. In 1869, Munkácsy painted his much acclaimed work The Last Day of a Condemned Man. This is considered his first masterpiece. The picture was rewarded with the Gold Medal of the Paris Salon in 1870. Towards the end of his career he painted two monumental works: "Hungarian Conquest" for the House of Parliament and a fresco entitled "Apotheosis of Renaissance", for the ceiling of Kunsthistoriches Museum in Vienna. By the 1890s, his depression grew into a severe mental illness which was probably intensified by the syphilis he caught in his youth. His last pictures are troubled and sometimes even bizarre. Nineteenth century visual art or the historical developments of Hungarian art cannot be discussed without considering Munkácsy's lifework.

Csontvary Kosztka Tivadar exhibition in Szeged and Szentes

Forty of Csontvary Kosztka Tivadar’s paintings can be seen in Szeged Mora Ferenc Museum and Szentes, from 14th October until the middle of December.

It is a unique event as apart from two other exhibitions, one in 1994 and the other last year in Istanbul, these paintings could not have been seen in any other places than Pecs since the opening of Csontvary Museum in 1974 there. You can ask why Szeged and Szentes are the places where his works are exhibited.

During the Great Flood of Szeged in 1879 Csontvary took an active part in helping and as originally he wanted to be a pharmacist, he worked in a pharmacy in Szentes. Seeing the destruction in Szeged might have pushed him in the direction of becoming an artist.

Ticket prices are 1500 HUF for adults and 900 HUF for students and pensioners. There is special family ticket for 2 adults and maximum3 children for 2900 HUF. The museum in Szegen is open every day from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. The museum is closed on Mondays. In Szentes the opening hours are from Tuesday to Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. Prices are lower than in Szeged, 700 HUF for adults, 400 HUF for students and pensioners and the family ticket is only 1200 HUF.

Csontváry Kosztka Tivadar - Magányos cédrus