Visegrád Portraits. Artistic obeisance to the cooperation of Central European countries

Graphics made of famous people including, among others, footballer Ferenc Puskás, mechanical engineer Emil Škoda, physicist Maria Skłodowska-Curie, poet, prose writer Ľudmila Podjavorinská will be presented at the exhibition which is an artistic obeisance to the cooperation of Central European countries three decades ago.

At the exhibition entitled Visegrád Portraits. Portraits from the past of Central Europe – on the 30th anniversary of Visegrad Cooperation, works by Tibor Gaál, graphic artist and portrait cartoonist awarded with the Golden Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit are presented in Várkert Bazár (Castle Garden Bazaar).

The exhibition, set up with the support of the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, and with the participation of the National Széchényi Library, goes beyond the past thirty years. The artist has redrawn the great figures of the (near) past of the region in an individual vision, in a way that not only goes back to the past, but also points forward to the future by flashing past individual achievements.

The twenty prestigious personalities in the selected portrait gallery have made a lasting impact in the field of history, literature, art, science and sports. Their achievements go far beyond their own era and the confines of their narrower environment, both in time and space: they enrich universal cultural history across centuries and national borders. At the same time, the exhibition draws attention to the fact that all this is our common success, and the members of each nation enrich the common cultural treasure of mankind with their individual achievements.

Tibor Gaál won a gold medal at the International Cartoon Contest 2010 held during the South African Football Championship for his drawing of Ferenc Puskás, which can also be seen at the exhibition. Years ago, he started his series of portraits entitled Great Hungarians, which he completed with portraits of the Slovak, Czech and Polish “Great Ones” for the 30th anniversary of Visegrad Cooperation. He regards the series as a cultural mission and intends to go on enriching the portrait gallery with a number of portraits.

The exhibition will be open from October 22 until October 30, 2020, Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Venue: Event Hall of Várkert Bazár (Castle Garden Bazaar), 4 Ybl Miklós Square, H-1013 Budapest

Poster of the exhibition

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