Magyar Modern

Exhibition at the Berlinische Galerie | 04th November 2022 to 06th February 2023

This exhibition breaks new ground by devoting extensive attention to the Hungarian contribution to modern art in the German capital. Berlin plays a special role in the history of Hungarian art and culture. Even before the First World War, Hungarian artists used the growing metropolis as an exhibition stage to reach an international audience. When reactionary forces put an end to Hungary’s political transformation in 1919, progressive artists in exile found refuge in the cosmopolitan Berlin of the Weimar Republic. They found the space for creative freedom on the banks of the Spree, where they established a significant visibility in various avantgarde contexts. Berlin was a formative influence for many Hungarian artists who, in turn, were a defining force in the art market. Restoring memories of this reciprocal cultural inspiration is the principal aim of this exhibition. It brings together paintings, prints, photographs and architectural drawings, deeply enriching our perception of artistic achievements from East Central Europe. (Text: Berlinische Galerie, Berlin)

The Berlin publishing house Ullstein played a decisive role in the mediation and development of modern photojournalism between 1910 and 1933, which explains why Hungarian photographers in exile were also involved in a lively exchange with the magazine and newspaper editors and the artistic directorate at Ullstein. Through a wide variety of commissions, they developed a comprehensive range of creative work. Among the best-known and most successful image authors was Martin Munkácsi (1896-1963), whose works clearly influenced the publications of the Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung and whose visual language became the expression of a modern style in photography. A look at other Ullstein magazines such as Die Dame also shows that not only experienced Hungarian photographers published their work here, but also text authors, illustrators, writers. In addition, the publications reflect a cultural range, mutual influence and interest also in topics such as stage, fashion and social life. Art and artists of all genres moved on a grateful terrain in Berlin; cross-border artistic thinking and creation were largely a matter of course at Ullstein, whether for authors, editors, illustrators, painters or gallery owners.

In our picture gallery you will find the loans from the Ullstein photographic collection for the exhibition at the Berlinische Galerie and a selection of other original photographs by Hungarian photographers of those years at Ullstein.

For more information on the exhibition, visit the Berlinische Galerie website. The corresponding dossier can be found at ullstein bild.

Published June 2022