MAGICAL REALISM AND SURREALISM in Central and Eastern European Graphic Art between 1945 and 1990 | Conference
2025.10.14 11:17
The Damjanich János Museum cordially invites you to the two-day international conference entitled “MAGICAL REALISM AND SURREALISM IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN GRAPHIC ART BETWEEN 1945 AND 1990”. The presentations will showcase graphic art efforts in Central and Eastern Europe in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as lesser-known works and visual endeavours in Hungarian graphic art from that period.
The conference is based on our OTKA research project (ID: K 147364) “The 'Great Generation' of Hungarian Graphics and the Artists' Colony of Szolnok: A Comparative Research of the Life's Works of Margit Ágotha, Mihály Gácsi, and Csaba Rékassy”, which aims to examine the oeuvres of these three Hungarian graphic artists, outline their broader historical context, and explore international connections.
Venue: Szolnok, DAMJANICH JÁNOS MUSEUM (Kossuth tér 4., 1st floor, Conference Hall)
Date: 4–5. December 2025.
The lectures will be held in Hungarian and English. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided for participants.
Program of the academic conference
4. December, Thursday
9.00–9.30 REGISTRATION
9.3 WELCOME SPEECH
9.40–10.20 PLENARY LECTURE
EMESE RÉVÉSZ (Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Humanities, Institute of Art History – Budapest, HU)
Dürer 1971. The common ground of contemporary European graphic art
CENTRAL EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVES 1.
10.20–11.20
Section Chair: Nándor Szebenyi
10.20–10.40
JONAS HERNEGGER (Ludwig-Maximilians University – Munich, DE)
Magically Real or Surreal? Clarification and differentiation of terms based on Eastern European graphic art of the post-war period
10.40–11.00
DANIEL ZEC (Josip Juraj Strossmayer University – Osijek, HR)
The Surrealist Strand in the Graphic Oeuvre of Franjo Molnar
11.00–11.20 DISCUSSION
11.20–11.40 COFFEE BREAK
CENTRAL EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVES 2.
11.40–13.00
Section Chair: Gyöngyvér Horváth
11.40–12.00
KORALJKA JURČEC KOS (Klovićevi Dvori Gallery – Zagreb, HR)
Magical Realism and Surrealism in Central and Eastern European Graphic Art between 1945 and 1990. Election from the Oeuvre of Nevenka Arbanas
12.00–12.20
GRAŻYNA HAŁASA (National Museum in Poznań – Poznań, PL)
Mieczysław Wejman, Jacek Gaj, Janusz Przybylski…
Eye-catching, metaphorical printmaking in post-war Poland
12.20–12.40
MARTIN VANČO (Slovak National Gallery – Bratislava, SK)
Albín Brunovský and his graphics school
12.40–13.00 DISCUSSION
13.00–13.30 LUNCH BREAK
PERSPECTIVES IN HUNGARY 1. (in Hungarian)
13.30–15.10
Section Chair: Emese Révész
13.30–13.50
ANDRÁS RÉNYI (Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Humanities, Institute of Art History – Budapest, HU)
The Order of Codes – Syncretic Iconography, Art History, and Psychoanalysis on a Representative Etching of Béla Kondor
13.50–14.10
BARBARA DUDÁS (independent researcher – Dösjebro, SE)
Dreams and Tales – About the Graphics of Vladimir Szabó
14.10–14.30
ERIKA SONYOVSZKI-KÉPES (Gábor Karátson Archive and Research Project – Budapest, HU)
Animal-Human-Monster. Hybrid Figures in the Visual World, Visual Universe of István Engel Tevan
14.30–14.50
GÁBOR TAKÁCS (Ministry of Construction and Transport, Department of Cultural Assets – Budapest, HU)
Folklore Themes and Worldview in the Graphic Works of Győző Somogyi
14.50–15.10 DISCUSSION
15.10–15.30 COFFEE BREAK
PERSPECTIVES IN HUNGARY 2. (in Hungarian)
15.30–17.10
Section Chair: Ágnes Képiró
15.30–15.50
SÁNDOR HORNYIK (ELTE RCH Institute for Art History – Budapest, HU)
Mannerist Fantastic Realism
15.50–16.10
ZSÓFIA VOJNICH (Tornyai János Museum, Hódmezővásárhely, HU)
Gabriella Molnár and the Vásárhely Autumn Exhibitions
16.10–16.30
ANNA TÜSKÉS (University of Pécs, Faculty of Arts, Department of Art History – Pécs, HU)
A Modern Reinterpretation of Themes from Christian Iconography in the Graphic Art of Arany Bazsonyi
16.30–16.50
OLÍVIA ANGYAL (Babeș–Bolyai University Department of History in Hungarian – Cluj-Napoca, RO)
Surrealism in Transylvanian Children's Book Illustrations During the Communist Era. Based on Illustrations by Margit Soó Zöld and László Feszt Jr.
16.50–17.10 DISCUSSION
17.15–17.45 EMESE RÉVÉSZ’S CURATORIAL GUIDED TOUR IN THE EXHIBITION ‘MICROCOSMS’
5. December, Friday
9.00–9.30 REGISTRATION
THE RÉKASSY CIRCLE 1. (in Hungarian)
9.30–11.10
Section Chair: Sándor Hornyik
9.30–9.50
EMESE RÉVÉSZ (Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Humanities, Institute of Art History – Budapest, HU)
The Observer and the Storyteller. Csaba Rékassy's Magical Realism
9.50–10.10
MÁRIA MADÁR (HNM PCC Petőfi Literary Museum – Budapest, HU)
The Cold War and the Space Race in the Graphics of Csaba Rékassy and Mihály Gácsi
10.10–10.30
ÁGNES KÉPIRÓ (Damjanich János Museum – Szolnok, HU)
Margit Ágotha, Mihály Gácsi, Csaba Rékassy and the Artists’ Colony of Szolnok
10.30–10.50
GYÖNGYVÉR HORVÁTH (independent researcher – Budapest, HU)
“Master Craftsman” Versus “Genius”: Csaba Rékassy and Béla Kondor’s Parallel, Statistics-Based Reception History
10.50–11.10 DISCUSSION
11.10–11.30 COFFEE BREAK
THE RÉKASSY CIRCLE 2. (in Hungarian)
11.30–12.50
Section Chair: Mária Madár
11.30–11.50
LÁSZLÓ KOSTYÁL (Directorate of Museums in Zalaegerszeg – Zalaegerszeg, HU)
Mihály Gácsi's Years in Zalaegerszeg and his Legacy at the Göcsej Museum
11.50–12.10
REGINA ROSTA (MA student, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Faculty of Humanities and Social sciences, Department of Art History – Budapest, HU)
Illustrations by Margit Ágotha for Bertolt Brecht's Play ‘Mother Courage and Her Children’
12.10–12.30
ESZTER SZŐNYEG-SZEGVÁRI (Museum of Fine Arts – Central European Research Institute for Art History – Budapest, HU)
The Public Art Works of Ágotha Margit, Gácsi Mihály, and Rékassy Csaba
12.30–12.50 DISCUSSION
12.50–13.00 CLOSING
Conference organizers: Emese Révész, Ágnes Képiró, Nándor Szebenyi
Information: titkarsag@djm.hu
Advance registration is not required to attend the conference, but we ask all participants to register on site.
Participation in the event is free of charge. By attending, visitors agree that audio and video recordings may be made during the event, which may be used for promotional purposes on the Damjanich János Museum's platforms.