Graphig – Pop-up exhibition on 170 years of Hungarian caricatures

Humorous magazines from the second half of the 19th century, the first Hungarian illustrated satirical magazine, Charivari Dongó, Üstökös published by Mór Jókai, or Bolond Miska. These publications can be found in the collection of National Széchényi Library. Among others, these documents will be on display at a pop-up exhibition to be set up in October in the Hungarian national library. Since the heyday of satirical magazines was the Era of Compromise, this period saw the mushrooming of several other magazines belonging to the genre. The collection includes the first political humorous magazine Borsszem Jankó and Pikáns Lapok as well. Caricatures from periodicals published between World War I and World War II, including Az Ojság, Pesti Posta, Szabad száj and Pesti Izé, will be on display, but visitors will also have the opportunity to have a look at the most famous Hungarian satirical newspaper of the 20th century, the so-called Ludas Matyi. The latter was published for almost 50 years, until 1993.

The exhibition and program series set up and organized jointly by CAFe Budapest Contemporary Arts Festival and National Széchényi Library aim at commemorating and paying tribute to the anniversaries.

Members of the Group of Hungarian Caricaturists will celebrate a double anniversary in NSZL: the 170th anniversary of Charivari Dongó and the150th of Borsszem Jankó, presenting works by prominent representatives of caricature art from 1848 until present day. The exhibition will feature a comprehensive selection from satirical and humorous magazines kept in the general collection of National Széchényi Library. At the same time, presented will be drawings by four renowned Hungarian contemporary artists – László Dluhopolszky, Tibor Gaál, Judit Prihoda and Krisztián Takács.

The title of the exhibition was invented by humorist, poet János Kemény: Grafityisz (Graphig) delivers an explicit message. By their exhibited graphics, drawings and caricatures, the artists show a fig to the problems and anomalies of everyday life here, in Budapest, where there were times when people were amused by 104 cabarets and 40 humorous magazines.

The exhibition can be visited free of charge from October 9 until October 27, 2018, Tuesday to Saturday: 10.00 – 20.00. The (free) ticket can be purchased at the Registration Desk until 7 p.m.

Venue: National Széchényi Library, National Relic exhibition space

Curators of the exhibition: László Dluhopolszky and Tibor Gaál (caricaturists), Ágnes Szemerédi (National Széchényi Library)

Related events:

October 9: 2 p.m. Opening ceremony – Sit-down comedy with András Szőke and Sándor Badár

October 11: 5 p.m. Guided Carica-tour with Dulho & T-boy

October 16: 5 p.m. Guided Carica-tour with Dulho & T-boy

6.30 p.m. Roundtable-talk with the Humour experts