A new permanent exhibition from the Szigetbecse collection, entitled André Kertész – The Sentimentalist (A szentimentalista), has opened at the Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center.
Born in Budapest, André Kertész is one of the defining figures in the history of photography. Over a career spanning more than seventy years and three countries (Hungary, France and the United States), Kertész created the visual language of modernist photography, which remains a point of reference and a source of inspiration for generations.
In the last year of his life, as an expression of his deep feelings for the place that shaped his childhood, he donated 120 carefully selected, original, signed photographs to the village of Szigetbecse.
At the opening of the exhibition, Sósné Michélisz Edina, Mayor of Szigetbecse, recalled that Szigetbecse held a special place in André Kertész’s life: he spent a lot of time with relatives living there, and the people and landscapes of Becse appear in his earliest photographs. Whenever he was in Hungary, he always visited Szigetbecse, the last time in March 1984. The photographer welcomed the plan to renovate an old house in the village for him as an exhibition space, and he offered and sent this museum 120 original, signed photographs. The selection includes not only images linked to the village but also well-known pieces from the artist’s oeuvre; however, he did not live to see the museum open.
The exhibition at the Capa Center is built around the images donated to Szigetbecse, presented in six thematic sections (Stirrings, On the Road of War, The Story of My Wife, From the Studios of Pest to the Ateliers of Paris, The Metamorphosis of the Body, The Enigmatic Image).
On the one hand, the sections follow the chronology of his life; on the other, taking a particular situation, person, motif or event as a starting point, they offer deeper insight into the defining life events, relationships and artistic visions that motivated him. The core material of prints made by the artist is complemented by digital prints of glass negatives selected from the Kertész archive donated by the artist to France, courtesy of the Médiathèque du patrimoine et de la photographie.
Another pillar of the exhibition is the role of fine art in André Kertész’s life, which is why a few works of art connected to his life and art are on display. In addition, three postcards from his late correspondence with his wife are exhibited. Finally, evoking his home, a few characteristic items from the personal belongings he donated to Szigetbecse are also on show.
The Capa Center is unique, as there is no other cultural institution in the world that presents both of these giants of world photography, Robert Capa and André Kertész, in permanent exhibitions, emphasised Kőrösi Orsolya, Managing Director of the Capa Center, at the opening of the exhibition.
Following the Capa exhibition opened in 2023, the renovated permanent André Kertész exhibition makes it possible for the two photographers – who knew, respected and loved each other and worked together – to be reunited in a worthy setting at the Capa Center in Budapest, she pointed out, adding that both were Hungarian, steadfast, unshakeable, dedicated and brave. But what truly connects them is not their style but their immense commitment to humanity.
The exhibition is curated by Kopin Katalin.
Source: MTI, capacenter.hu
