The stories of Don Quixote, Gulliver and Tom Sawyer once came to life on the walls of children’s bedrooms with the help of a single slide projector. This still-familiar experience is brought back by the exhibition showcasing the work of the artist, born 115 years ago, which is on view until 3 October at BÁV ART’s gallery on Szent István körút.
Born on 16 October 1911, the painter, graphic artist, comic-strip artist and illustrator Zórád Ernő was one of the defining figures in the history of Hungarian filmstrips: he illustrated more than 30 filmstrips with some 1,500 drawings. “His distinctive, richly detailed pictures did not merely accompany the stories but created a visual world of their own around them. Through Zórád’s characterful figures, the protagonists of classic literary works became a defining memory for many.”
From the 1950s, filmstrips became one of Hungarian families’ favourite forms of home entertainment. Adaptations of fairy tales and young people’s novels were especially popular, and they were made memorable by the work of leading Hungarian graphic artists such as Dargay Attila, Réber László and Zórád Ernő.
In the exhibition’s filmstrip corner, visitors can sit down and spend as long as they like with classic filmstrips, so they can not only see Zórád Ernő’s illustrations but also experience the atmosphere of a filmstrip screening.
Courtesy of the Bíró Ferenc Hungarian Filmstrip History Collection, ten different slide projectors are also on display at the exhibition. In addition, six newly released, restored filmstrips will be available to buy during the exhibition.
The joint exhibition of BÁV ART Auction House and Gallery and Diafilmgyártó Kft., entitled Drawn by Zórád Ernő – A Selection from the Golden Age of Filmstrips (Rajzolta: Zórád Ernő – Válogatás a diafilm hőskorából), was created to mark the 115th anniversary of the artist’s birth, and admission is free.
Source: MTI