The diplomat. Culture During the Cold War – Guy Turbet-Delof Budapest (1947–1958) explores the state of culture and the arts during the turbulent first decade of the Cold War through the story of a French cultural diplomat’s years in Hungary. It examines the period from various perspectives: the viewpoint of French diplomacy, the hostile stance of the Hungarian political police, and Turbet-Delof’s personal perspective—shaped by his literary education and worldview. We attempt to sketch his character as the artists who came into contact with him might have seen him, and we also present the works of art they gifted to him. Finally, a very intimate, personal aspect of his life in Hungary is revealed through the recollections of his daughter, Christine Turbet-Delof.
Guy Turbet-Delof, who served as director of the French Institute in Budapest and as a cultural attaché, has long been a figure in historical and literary scholarship thanks to his 1956 diary and his French translation of *János vitéz*. Our exhibition, however, draws attention to a lesser-known aspect of his work: his connection to the visual arts and artists. He became acquainted with a wide circle of artists of the era and helped many of them, going far beyond the duties of his position. For him, cultural mediation was not merely an official duty but a personal mission, which he carried out by crossing the Iron Curtain.
Turbet-Delof used diplomatic mail and his own car to assist Hungarian artists. He forwarded private letters and had paintbrushes and sheet music brought over. He did not shy away from smuggling people or works of art across the border: paintings by Béla Czóbel and Endre Rozsda also left the country with his help.
For Endre Rozsda, who yearned for freedom and chose to emigrate, she sought out supporters and exhibition opportunities. Based on the painter’s work *Initiation* — which marked the height of his international career — the French government later commissioned a tapestry, which, as if to bring things full circle, was placed in the residence of the French ambassador in Budapest. This exceptional piece is now leaving its permanent home so that it can be viewed in this exhibition.
The exhibition features works by artists whose careers are intertwined with Turbet-Delof’s: in addition to several large-scale paintings and smaller prints by Endre Rozsda, it also includes sculptures and sculptural designs by Lajos Barta, as well as works by Béla Czóbel, Tibor Vilt, Márk Vedres, and Géza Gorka. In addition to the artworks gifted to the diplomat and the works of artists associated with him, visitors can also view the equipment used by the political police for wiretapping, surveillance photographs, official records, and video interviews recounting personal stories.