Page 144 - 匈牙利当代艺术 - HUngarian Contemporary Art

László Attila Márton & Melinda Soltész

Thoughts on glass art

in Hungary

The tradition of Hungarian glass art goes back to the 19th century is shown
in the beautiful works that came out of the worldwide famous workshop of
Miksa Róth. After the cataclysm of the two world wars the socialist outlook -
although not continuing Róth’s work but based upon it - with different points
of view, took another direction. The closing down of the borders and the
increasing seclusion from the western world brought the necessity to find
a solution to problems regarding artists. A support and institutional system
was established – which in Europe but possibly even in the world was unique
- what dealt with, structured and supported the creative work of the artists.
On this base was built the lifetime work of those artists which are now famous
worldwide.

The masters who studied and worked between the two world wars created
the backbone of the Hungarian glass art education and through it they have
brought up a whole generation of significant makers. Júlia Báthory started
the glass art courses in 1953 at the High School of Fine and Applied Arts – 240
years old in 2018 - which has become well known all around Europe, this was
followed a few years later in 1965 on a university level by György Z. Gács at the
University of Craft and Design. At these two institutes the great individuals of
the socialist era such as Zoltán Bohus, Márton Horváth, János Jegenyés, Géza
Sigmond and Zsófia Kanyák graduated.

The main aim of starting this education program was to provide well
skilled glass designers for the socialist factories. Significant bodies of work
came into life from works that were designed for the factories and were
manufactured by them. At this time – with the help of the Institute of Craft
- many commissions were made and conferences organised, which aimed at
bringing in new technologies or new lines of machinery, all this with the help
of the glass artists.

With help of field trips abroad a new tenor formed in the 1960s - 1970s.
Glass artists became interested in making autonomous art pieces. One of the
consequences of this is that more and more symposiums were organised in
different areas of art. Like a shot of energy- at the beginning in conjunction
with industrial glass making, later replacing that - a new dynamic direction
was formed, untying itself from the bounds of factory design and an intensive
and creative work began. In the field of glass art, the center was the Glass
Symposiums in Bárdudvarnok.

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