The Hungarian University of Fine Arts is paying tribute to Jenő Barcsay, who was born 125 years ago, with a special exhibition of his life’s work. The exhibition entitled Perfect Balance – The Life’s Work of Jenő Barcsay in a New Light presents the artist’s rich oeuvre and puts his art in a fresh perspective.
In addition to the many sensational newly discovered Barcsay works, the exhibition of the artist’s oeuvre includes the master’s famous mosaic art, original drawings from the book that made him an international success, Anatomy of Art, and a glimpse into the world of his non-figurative painting. Barcsay’s art is one of the important pillars of 20th century Hungarian art, with a particular emphasis on anatomy, formal abstraction and the depiction of nature and visible reality.
The life and work of Jenő Barcsay (1900-1988) is closely intertwined with the history of the Hungarian University of Fine Arts: the young, Transylvanian-born Barcsay began his studies at the University of Fine Arts in the autumn of 1921 in the class of János Vaszary, and completed his studies in 1926 under the guidance of Gyula Rudnay. In 1945 he returned to the institution as a lecturer, where he taught a long line of generations of artists in visual siences and anatomy until his retirement in 1975. During his decades-long career as an artist and teacher, he radically transformed pedagogical methods and had a significant impact on artistic expression.
The exhibition of Barcsay’s life’s work at the University of Fine Arts will be the first time the public can see one of the sensations of the jubilee year, Barcsay’s monumental charcoal drawing Women, which has been discovered after 60 years in hiding. The 21-square-metre work was created in 1964 and is a forerunner of the mosaic at the Miskolc Heavy Engineering Technical University. The unique drawing was made by the artist when he was teaching anatomy at the College of Fine Arts.
Another special feature of the exhibition is that, alongside Barcsay’s work, you can also admire the works of Gottfried Bammes, a German professor who taught anatomy of art. Through the work of Barcsay and Bammes, visitors will be able to gain an insight into the world of artistic anatomy from two different perspectives, tracing how the two masters transformed the teaching of anatomy.
The 80 works of art and documents in the Barcsay exhibition have been compiled from public and private collections of the Hungarian University of Fine Arts.