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Story by Manos Angelakis
Hungarian art treasures that were hidden for years in private collections, are finally finding their way to exhibitions in museums and galleries around the world. The Hungarian Cultural Center presented two striking collections from January 24th to March 21st, 2009 On display at the Forbes Galleries (62 Fifth Ave., New York City, www.forbesgalleries.com, 212-206-5548) were 167 pieces of Zsolnay Art Pottery from the collection of Dr. László Gyugyi, and great paintings from the very early 20th century, from the Nancy G. Brinker collection. Both collectors live in the  Unites States.
I was particularly interested in the Zsolnay pieces, as the Zsolnay ceramics factory was one of the major producers of Art Nouveau pottery and porcelain. The factory, located in Pécs, Hungary, still operates today, though it no longer produces the caliber of pottery work represented in the Gyugyi collection. Porcelain and fine bone china have been my passion for many years and I plan a series of articles, in the near future, about famous porcelain factories that are still creating collectible work, especially famous companies that used to be behind the iron curtain and are now free to create and produce masterful art after all these years.
Miklos Zsolnay founded his ceramics factory in 1853, and from the 1890s to the 1920s, under the leadership of his son Vilmos, designers and artisans in the factory produced exquisite and highly collectable ceramics that rivaled in beauty the product of many better known French, English, and American Art Nouveau creators. After the end of WWII, the Communist government nationalized the factory, and tragically banished the family from the premises.
The collectable Zsolnay pottery pieces reveal naturalistic botanical forms, longhaired nymphs, exotic animal scenes, and abstract patterns from Persian and Turkish tiles; typical Art Nouveau motifs of the period. In some pieces, vibrantly colored glazes enhance the beauty of the design. In others, layers upon layers of polished glaze and acid etching create unique iridescent masterpieces. Unfortunately, the current pottery designs do not seem to have the artistic quality of the earlier work. However, they now produce fine bone china tableware that I would consider artistically equivalent to designs created by other, better known, German, French and English manufacturers.
The Exhibition opening was attended by government representatives from Hungary, the two art collectors, members of the Hungarian community, the press, and art and antique collectors and dealers.
© February 2009 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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