"He was born Hungarian, lived in Paris, and his paintings are in America. This impassioned trajectory is the symbol of Mihály Munkácsy's career", wrote the art historian Béla Lázár in 1925. Munkácsy enjoyed the most spectacular career of any late-nineteenth-century Hungarian artist, one that reverberated for decades in the Hungarian and international press. During the almost three decades that he lived in Paris, the artist became a famous and celebrated prince of painters, and his name became a living concept. Munkácsy was a modern artist who cleverly exploited exhibitions, the art market, and his network of contacts. The art dealer Charles Sedelmeyer played a significant role in his successes that spanned continents, greatly contributing to the international recognition of Munkácsy's paintings. No other nineteenth-century Hungarian painter attained such high esteem or became so famous on the global art scene. The story of his success inspired many other Hungarian painters to “try their luck” in Paris. Stories of the impact of Munkácsy's career, and the lasting afterlife of the fame and glory that surrounded him, kept the name and cult of Munkácsy alive long after his death. The present exhibition celebrates this sensational career a genuine Hungarian success story, a worldwide sensation.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest has long preserved works by Munkácsy within its walls. The museum presented his paintings in its permanent exhibition for fifty years from 1906, in the meantime endeavouring to fill the gaps in his oeuvre. By the Second World War, 65 of Munkácsy's works had been acquired for the nation's public collection. The 2024-2025 double commemorative year - marking the 180th anniversary of the artist's birth and the 125th anniversary of his death - provide a celebratory occasion for Mihály Munkácsy's return to his former home.
Munkácsy
