Where Art Met History: Holocaust Exhibitions in Early Postwar Hungary

ABSTRACT

This study explores Holocaust-related exhibitions organized in early postwar Hungary, between 1945 and 1949, from the end of World War II up until the communist takeover. The high number of such exhibitions (26 in total) attests to the existence of a widespread and extensive culture of remembrance, especially in the first three years, when the vast majority of these shows (21) took place. These exhibitions involved art almost exclusively; even the historical exhibitions included artworks and relied heavily on graphic design solutions. The first part of the study provides insight into a pioneering historical exhibition organized in early 1946 in Budapest (‘Those Who Died and Those Who Fought for Our People’s Honor’) and a similar exhibition material prepared later that year, sent to New York to be exhibited at YIVO in 1947 (‘The Jews in Europe, 1939–1946’). In both cases, montage-based design played a key role in conveying messages; moreover, several autonomous artworks were equally integrated into the historical narrative. Both exhibitions were prepared by the Documentation Department, which, in the first case, belonged to the Jewish Agency for Palestine; in the second case, it was already merged into the Hungarian branch of the World Jewish Congress. Importantly, no data has surfaced so far about further historical exhibitions about the Holocaust (or similar topics: war crimes, antifascism, etc.), organized in Hungary in this period. The second part of the paper provides an analysis of the actors involved, highlighting the eminent role played by various organizations, and dedicating special attention to the Jewish and Zionist ones. The final part concerns art exhibitions, differentiating between ‘martyr’ and ‘commemorative’ exhibitions, both organized from the works of victims of the Holocaust – works that with a few exceptions did not themselves relate to the genocide – and exhibitions featuring artworks about the Holocaust created almost exclusively by survivors, mostly narrative graphic series depicting various personal experiences of the victims.

KEYWORDS:

• Exhibition history
• postwar Hungary
• Holocaust art
• Jewish Agency for Palestine
• World Jewish Congress
• YIVO

Acknowledgements

A part of this research benefited from a Jewish Studies postdoctoral fellowship at the Central European University in 2021–2022.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1 Hasia R. Diner, We Remember with Reverence and Love: American Jews and the Myth of Silence after the Holocaust, 1945–1962 (New York: New York University Press, 2009); David Cesarani and Eric J. Sundquist (eds.), After the Holocaust: Challenging the Myth of Silence (London: Routledge, 2012); Laura Jockusch, Collect and Record! Jewish Holocaust Documentation in Early Postwar Europe (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012); and more recently in the case of the Eastern Bloc: Kata Bohus, Peter Hallama and Stephan Stach (eds.), Growing in the Shadow of Antifascism: Remembering the Holocaust in State-Socialist Eastern Europe (Budapest-Vienna-New York: CEU Press, 2022).

2 In fact, the first major attempt to survey early postwar exhibition histories is the current issue of The Journal of Holocaust Research this study was also written for.

3 These were usually made possible through public funds or infrastructure. Cédric Gruat, Crimes hitlériens: Une exposition-deuil au sortir de la guerre (Paris: Édition Tirésias-Michel Reynaud, 2017); Heidrun-Ulrike Wenzel, Vergessen? Niemals! Die antifaschistische Ausstellung im Wiener Künstlerhaus 1946 (Wien–Berlin: Mandelbaum Verlag, 2018); “Warsaw Accuses: Ruins on Display,” in Agata Pietrasik, Art in a Disrupted World: Poland 1939–1949 (Warsaw: Academy of Fine Arts-Museum of Modern Art, 2021), pp. 99–126.

4 In the case of the two historical exhibitions, through selected examples – based on the catalogue and the partial recovery of exhibition material – several aspects of the presentation of history through art (both material and design) are considered. The reconstruction of the panorama of art exhibitions is based – due to the lack of catalogues and further sources – on their reception in the press. In some cases, further research might bring forth more details about some of these shows, yet their position and importance can only be judged within the complex system of early postwar Holocaust exhibition history, described below. The overview and analysis of the types of exhibitions and actors will also enable a future comparison between different countries.

5 A few aspects (literature and social discourses) were recently explored: Tamás Kisantal, Az emlékezet és a felejtés helyei: A vészkorszak ábrázolásmódjai a magyar irodalomban a háború utáni években (Pécs: Kronosz Kiadó, 2020); Lóránt Bódi, “A kibeszélhetetlen számbavétele – társadalmi diskurzusok a holokausztról a II. világháborút követően (1945–1948),” PhD diss., ELTE University, Budapest, 2022.

6 An exhibition, curated by Zsófia Farkas, recently showed a number of early postwar works; the exhibition catalogue with extended material is forthcoming. Eyewitnesses: Depictions of Trauma from the Collection of the Hungarian Jewish Museum and Archives, Budapest, 2B Gallery, July 13–Aug. 17, 2021. Earlier, Katalin S. Nagy published a rich and detailed monograph, a veritable encyclopedia of Hungarian Jewish artists, in a grouping based upon their specific fate during the Holocaust (death during or survival of deportation, labor service, etc.); the biographies of survivors cover their postwar periods as well, up until the artists’ death. Katalin S. Nagy, Emlékkavicsok: Holocaust a magyar képzőművészetben 1938–1945 (Budapest: Glória Kiadó, 2006).

7 Concerning the history of the Holocaust in Hungary, see the third, revised edition Braham’s monograph: Randolph L. Braham, The Politics of Genocide: The Holocaust in Hungary (Boulder: East European Monographs, 2016).

8 21/b Fürst Sándor [Hollán Ernő] Street. The ‘cultural hall,’ which belonged to the Csáky Street Synagogue district, opened in 1938 in a modernist tenement building, which also housed a Jewish elementary school, built for a Jewish pension fund. “A Hollán-utcai uj kulturterem felavatása,” Egyenlőség, Apr. 7, 1938, p. 11.

9 In the press; however, most probably following the press release, the exhibition was referred to not by its title, but rather as the ‘documentary exhibition of the suffering of the Hungarian Jewry,’ making the Zionist framework inconspicuous. Szabad Nép, Jan. 23, 1946, p. 4. A news item in the paper of the Social Democratic Party mentioned the title of the show, but in a purposefully shortened form, as ‘Akik meghaltak és akik harcoltak … ’ in order to avoid mentioning the Jewish self-reference ‘népünk becsületéért’ (for our people’s honor), labeling it as an ‘antifascist exhibition.’ Világosság, Jan. 29, 1946, p. 4.

10 Alfréd Trosztler, Akik meghaltak és akik harcoltak népünk becsületéért (Budapest: Jewish Agency for Palestine Dokumentációs Osztálya, 1946), p. 2.

11 Photograph by Béla Kálmán. Trosztler, Akik meghaltak, p. 3. It was reported that the material of the exhibition would be recorded on ‘keskenyfilm’ (narrow, 16 mm film) in order to reach more people. It is currently an open question whether this meant the material included in the catalogue (and if so, whether the negatives survived), or if it alludes to a moving image. Magyar Nemzet, Jan. 23, 1946, p. 2.

12 These were the protocols collected and recorded by the Deportáltakat Gondozó Országos Bizottság (DEGOB, National Committee for Attending Deportees). Horváth, “DEGOB,” p. 46.

13 Trosztler, Akik meghaltak, p. 32.

14 Blassberg’s montage is also of good quality; Weil’s second work more closely resembles an autonomous work than an illustration. János Blassberg, “Schutzpass-blöff,” in Trosztler, Akik meghaltak, p. 23; Sraga Weil, “A ‘győzelmük’ [Unser Sieg..!],” in Trosztler, Akik meghaltak, p. 11.

15 Trosztler, Akik meghaltak, p. 13.

16 Ibid., p. 22.

17 Ibid., p. 7.

18 Ibid., p. 1. The artist was the victim of the Holocaust, while the work was exhibited earlier at the OMIKE martyr exhibition in 1946. S. Sz. [Sándor Szerdahelyi?], “Mártír-művészek,” Népszava, June 27, 1946, p. 5.

19 Trosztler, Akik meghaltak, p. 3.

20 Ibid., p. 12 (works reproduced), p. 3 (exhibition view).

21 Ibid., p. 25. Arthur Szyk: The Repulsed Attack (from The Songs of the Ghetto), 1943, The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, UC Berkeley, inv. no. 2017.5.1.113.

22 Miklós Adler’s name was mistyped as “Károly Ádler.” “Az elmúlt korszak szörnyűségei – egy kiállítás tükrében,” Világ, Jan. 24, 1946, p. 2. Kádár Béla, Dies irae (Budapest: Anonymus Irodalmi és Művészeti Intézet, 1945).

23 Szabad Nép, Jan. 23, 1946, p. 4; Magyar Nemzet, Feb. 6, 1946, p. 2.

24 The author herself was Jewish; this might explain her dissatisfied comment hinting at the lack of non-Jewish visitors. Fehér Klára, “A Fürst Sándor-utcai kiállítás bemutatja a 680.000-es gyilkosság dokumentumait,” Szabad Nép, Feb. 6, 1946, p. 4.

25 Institutional history: Rita Horváth, A Magyarországi Zsidók Deportáltakat Gondozó Országos Bizottsága (DEGOB) története. Makor: Magyar Zsidó Levéltári Füzetek 1. (Budapest: Magyar Zsidó Levéltár, 1997), pp. 22, 45, 51.

26 “Exhibit on the Jews of Europe, 1939–1946,” News of the YIVO, no. 17 (Nov. 1946): pp. 1, 4, 5. I would like to thank Leo Greenbaum at YIVO for his kind help and for sending me the scanned newspapers.

27 Ibid., p. 1.

28 “Kiállításon mutatják be New Yorkban a magyar zsidóság történetét,” Képes Figyelő, Jan. 4, 1947, p. 20.

29 Four-page leaflet of the exhibition, YIVO, Archive of Philip Friedman, RG 1258, Box 15, courtesy of Agata Pietrasik. Unfortunately, neither at YIVO about this exhibition (upon my request), nor at the Central Zionist Archives concerning both the 1946 Budapest exhibition and the 1947 YIVO exhibition (upon Rachel Perry’s request, whom I thank for this information), were archivists able to identify any relevant archival holdings.

30 Photographs by Tibor Bass, MAFIRT (Magyar Filmipari Rt.), Dec. 21, 1946, held at the photo archives of the Hungarian News Agency (MTI), at MTVA: no. MTI-FOTO-FMAFI19461477003 (concentration camps), no. MTI-FOTO-FMAFI19461477001 (rule of the Arrow Cross), no. MTI-FOTO-FMAFI19461477002 (liberation).

31 Telegram from the Magyar Izraeliták Országos Irodája (MIOI) to Alexander Grossman, Aug. 24, 1956; Report on the Hungarian documentary material to be sent for the memorial exhibition of Mémorial du martyr juif inconnu in Paris, Sept. 9, 1956, Hungarian Jewish Museum and Archives, HU-HMJA-VI-6-1. I would like to thank Viktória Bányai for drawing my attention to these documents and for sharing them with me.

32 Visible on negative no. 6322, Archives of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. I would like to thank Zoltán Kékesi for sharing the exhibition views with me.

33 In this part, concentrating on the actors, I only refer to the exhibitions briefly; the following parts of the study, which provide a typology of the exhibitions, include their details (original Hungarian title, dates, and sources) in the footnotes.

34 Harsányi László, A fényből a sötétbe. Az Országos Magyar Izraelita Közművelődési Egyesület évtizedei 1909–1950 (Budapest: Napvilág Kiadó, 2019).

35 Péter György and Gábor Pataki, Az Európai Iskola és az Elvont Művészek Csoportja (Budapest: Corvina, 1990).

36 Daniel Véri, “Vajda Lajos zsidósága: rétegek és kontextusok,” Múlt és Jövő, vol. 29, no. 4 (2018): pp. 52–71.

37 Ibid., pp. 59–62, 68.

38 Address: Üllői út 11 (-13). By that time, they rented it from the Magyar Nők Demokratikus Szövetsége (MNDSZ, Democratic Alliance of Hungarian Women), but I do not agree with the authors of the monograph that it was a ‘strange coincidence’ that some members exhibited here not only when it was operated by the European School, but also previously, in OMIKE times. Rather, I believe this was rather the consequence of the connections and social capital of the Jewish members of the group. György and Pataki, Az Európai Iskola, p. 30.

39 Géza Ribáry, (intr.), Haggáda (Budapest: Országos Magyar Zsidó Segítő Akció-OMZSA, 1942). Schutzpasses were issued by embassies of foreign, neutral countries and stated that the owner of the document was under the protection of the given state. Under the rule of the Arrow Cross, such original and forged documents were acquired by many Jewish citizens in Budapest. Géza Komoróczy (ed.), Jewish Budapest: Monuments, Rites, History (Budapest: CEU Press, 1999), p. 405.

40 Jenő Lévai’s books, printed by Officina in 1946 include: A pesti gettó csodálatos megmenekülésének hiteles története; Fekete könyv: A magyar zsidóság szenvedéseiről; Szürke könyv: Magyar zsidók megmentéséről; Fehér könyv: Külföldi akciók zsidók megmentésére. Zádor István 32 litográfiája az Országos Zsidó Segitő Bizottság magyarországi munkájáról / 32 lithographs by István Zádor showing the work of the American Joint Distribution Committee in Hungary, 1949 (date according to the catalog of the Hungarian National Museum, inv. no. LTM 67.41).

41 For a contemporary overview of their activities, see András Beck, “A Szabadszervezet munkája,” Szabad Művészet, vol. 1, nos. 1–2 (Feb.–March 1947): pp. 24–25.

42 See, for instance, the announcement of a lecture by art historian Arany M. Abonyi, titled “Life of socialist martyr artists”: Világosság, Oct. 18, 1947, p. 5.

43 Péter Áldor, 1944 (Budapest: Borochow-kör, 1945). A second edition was published by Független Magyarország the same year. For a concise explanation of various Zionist organizations, see Attila Novák, Átmenetben, a cionista mozgalom négy éve Magyarországon (Budapest: Múlt és Jövő Kiadó, 2000), pp. 187–97.

44 Sraga Weil, Tanuságtétel (Budapest: Hasomer Hacair, 1946).

45 Miklós Adler, 16 fametszet (Debrecen: Hechaluc, 1945). Magyarországi Ezra Bizottság was the aid organization of the Agency. Horváth, “DEGOB,” p. 11.

46 Béla Vihar (ed.), Sárga könyv: Adatok a magyar zsidóság háborús szenvedéseiről 1941–1945 (Budapest: Hechaluc, 1946). The ten illustrations were also published separately: Sraga Weil, Hogy emlékezzetek … 10 illusztráció a “Sárga Könyv”-ből (Budapest: Hechaluc, 1945).

47 Ágnes Lukács, Auschwitz női tábor (Budapest, Szocialista Cionisták [Ichud] Pártja, 1946).

48 Ervin Abádi, Két csillag – két világ. 1939–1945 (Budapest: Brit Hacohar–Brit Trumpeldor, 1946).

49 Cf. Kata Bohus, “Parallel Memories? Public Memorialization of the Antifascist Struggle and Martyr Memorial Services in the Hungarian Jewish Community during Early Communism,” in Kata Bohus, Peter Hallama and Stephan Stach (eds.), Growing in the Shadow of Antifascism: Remembering the Holocaust in State-Socialist Eastern Europe (Budapest-Vienna-New York: CEU Press, 2022), pp. 87–108.

50 Véri, “Vajda Lajos,” pp. 55–56. A few examples: S. Sz. [Sándor Szerdahelyi?], “Mártír-művészek,” Népszava, June 27, 1946, p. 5; Ilona Berend, “Bán Béla és Ámos Imre grafikái,” Színház, vol. 3, no. 8 (1947): p. 22; S. Sz. [Sándor Szerdahelyi?], “Kiállítás,” Világosság, May 7, 1947, p. 6; R. F., “Mártirművészek posthumus kiállítása,” Szivárvány, Sept. 27, 1947, p. 10.

51 OMIKE mártír művészeinek emlékkkiállítása, Régi Műcsarnok, June 15–30, 1946. I was not able to locate a copy of the ‘pro memoria’ publication, mentioned in the press. Opening announcement: Szabad Nép, June 14, 1946, p. 4. S. Sz., “Mártír-művészek,” p. 5; P. S., “Kiállítás, amely vádol,” Jövendő, June 27, 1946; Arany M. Abonyi, “Ámos Imre alkotásai a mártír művészek kiállításán,” Magyar Nemzet, Feb. 27, 1966, p. 14. Cf. Daniel Véri, “‘Faji és vallási szempontok’: Ámos Imre művészettörténeti recepciója,” Múlt és Jövő, vol. 28, no. 3 (2017): pp. 45–49.

52 Szabad nép – szabad művészet, in the exhibition hall of Magyar Kommunista Párt (Hungarian Communist Party), located on Városház Street, opened before May 23, 1945. The exhibition was organized by Ernő Kállai, on behalf of the Anonymus Irodalmi és Művészeti Intézet (Anonymus Literary and Art Institute). Mária Dutka, “Rózsa Miklós emlékkiállítás,” Világ, May 23, 1945, p. 4; János Fóthy “Szabad nép – szabad művészet. Kilenc művész kiállítása,” Kossuth Népe, May 25, 1945, p. 4.

53 Ámos Imre utolsó grafikái, Művészbolt, Jan. 16–31, 1947. “Három kiállítás,” Szabad Szó, Feb. 2, 1947, p. 10.

54 Vajda Lajos rajzai, Művészbolt, June 1947. -ayka-, “Vajda Lajos,” Szabad Művészet, vol. 1, nos. 6–7 (July 1947): p. 120. Vajda Lajos festményei, Európai Iskola, Sept. 28–Oct. 12, 1947. “Kiállítási naptár,” Szabad Művészet, vol. 1, nos. 9–10 (Oct. 1947): p. 182.

55 Hatvani-Perlusz Gyula, Szalmássy Galéria, Nov. 1946. “Két kiállítás,” A Reggel, Nov. 4, 1946, p. 7. Örkényi Strasser István szobrászművész és Jándi Dávid festőművész emlékkiállítása, Fókusz Galéria, opened on Sept. 7, 1947. “Kiállítási naptár,” Szabad Művészet, vol. 1, no. 8 (Sept. 1947): p. 156.

56 Farkas István emlékkiállítás, Nemzeti Szalon, March 1–16, 1947. François Gachot, (intr.), Farkas István emlékkiállítás (Budapest: Nemzeti Szalon Művészeti Egyesület, 1947). Beck Ö. Fülöp emlékkkiállítás, Szépművészeti Múzeum, Oct. 4–Nov. 4, 1947. Beck Ö. Fülöp emlékkiállítás (Budapest: Országos Magyar Szépművészeti Múzeum, 1947). The cause of death and its reason was rarely mentioned. For instance, the newsreel about Beck’s exhibition only indicated that he died during the siege of Budapest, as opposed to the catalogue, which stated that he left his apartment, where he found refuge from the ‘persecution of the Arrow Cross,’ never to return. “Beck Ö. Fülöp szoborkiállítása a Szépművészeti Múzeumban,” MAFIRT Krónika, no. 92 (October 1947), accessed Dec. 1, 2022, https://filmhiradokonline.hu/watch.php?id=6550; Ernő Kállai, “[Introduction],” in Beck Ö. Fülöp, p. 1.

57 Magyar Képzőművészek Szabad Szervezete Pécs XIII. csoportkiállítása a Baranyamegyei Múzeumban Károly Ernő, Kellermann Emil, Király Lajos, Roder Judit műveiből, Pécs, Baranya Vármegyei Múzeum, July 21–28, 1946, organized in the framework of Magyar Képzőművészek Szabadszervezete, initiated by Ferenc Martyn. “Négy festő postumus kiállítása,” Dunántúli Népszava, July 14, 1946, p. 8; Nikelszky Géza, “Négy festő emlékkiállítása a Baranyavármegyei Múzeumban,” Dunántúli Népszava, July 21, 1946, p. 6. The exhibition was revisited in: Nagy András, (ed.), Négy festőművész. Király Lajos, Roder Judit, Károly Ernő, Kellermann Emil (Pécs: Janus Pannonius Múzeum-Pécsi Zsidó Hitközség, 2014).

58 Göndör Bertalan emlékkiállítása, Képzőművészek Szabadszervezete, April 20–May 4, 1947. “Kiállítási naptár,” Szabad Művészet, vol. 1, no. 3 (April 1947): p. 42. Gábor Pogány Ö., Göndör Bertalan grafikai művei (Budapest: Hungária Hírlapnyomda, 1947). Mártírművészek: Sugár Andor festő, Goldman György szobrász, Képzőművészek Szabadszervezete, Feb. 19–Mar. 3, 1948. “Kiállítási naptár,” Szabad Művészet, vol. 2, no. 2 (Feb. 1948): p. 55. II. Mártírkiállítás: Cserepes István, Kondor György, Schnitzler László festők (instead of György Kondor, the initial plan included Béla Hegedűs), Képzőművészek Szabadszervezete, May 15–24, 1948. “Kiállítási naptár,” Szabad Művészet, vol. 2, no. 5 (May 1948): p. 196; A. E. F. [A. Endre Fenyő?], “Három mártír művész emlékkiállítása,” Szabad Nép, May 22, 1948, p. 4.

59 László Schalk, “Sugár és Goldman,” Művelt Nép, vol. 2, no. 6 (March 15, 1948): p. 10; “Mártírművészek,” Szivárvány, vol. 3, no. 11 (March 15, 1948): p. 14; Szabad Nép, Feb. 20, 1948, p. 4.

60 Schalk, “Sugár és Goldman,” p. 10.

61 Dutka, “Rózsa Miklós,” p. 4.

62 Daniel Véri, “A holokauszt és a zsidó identitás szimbolikus ábrázolásai (1939–1960). Bálint Endre, Martyn Ferenc, Major János és Maurer Dóra grafikái,” in Gábor Pataki (ed.), Szigorúan ellenőrzött nyomatok. A magyar sokszorosított grafika 1945–1961 között (Miskolc, Herman Ottó Múzeum–Miskolci Galéria, 2018), pp. 54–60.

63 See note 28.

64 Bán Edit festménysorozata deportációs élményeiből, Bibliotheca Officina, opened on Sept. 22, 1945. Világosság, Sept. 28, 1945, p. 2. In my opinion, the series of 30 aquarelles exhibited and published in the last decades as works from the 1945 exhibition were created later, most probably in connection with the 1954 exhibition ‘Résistance, libération, déportation’ in Paris. The original series were in a landscape format and in pale colors, signed as ‘Bán Edit,’ with autograph titles in Hungarian; in contrast, the 30-piece series are in a portrait format, signed ‘Edith Kiss’ (surname of her second husband), with autograph titles in French. From the original series, four works were published in the catalogue of the ‘Akik meghaltak … ’ exhibition (see earlier). Cf. Helmuth Bauer Innere Bilder wird man nicht los. Die Frauen im KZ-Außenlager Daimler-Benz Genshagen (Berlin: Metropol Verlag, 2010), pp. 79–81, 117–20.

65 J. F., “[untitled],” Kossuth Népe, Oct. 2, 1945, p. 2. It is worth noting that later Bán became the sculptor of the first narrative Holocaust memorial in Hungarian public space, four reliefs inserted into the outer wall of the Újpest synagogue in 1948. “Vasárnap avatják fel az újpesti mártírok hatalmas emlékművét,” Világosság, July 21, 1948, p. 4.

66 Kádár György grafikai kiállítása, Bibliotheca Officina, opened on Feb. 9, 1946. Népszava, Feb. 8, 1946, p. 4; Világ, Feb. 8, 1946, p. 2.

67 “A miniszterelnökséghez,” Népszava, Feb. 21, 1946, p. 3.

68 Kádár György láger-grafikái, György Kádár’s apartment, 51 Fürst Sándor [Hollán Ernő] Street, first floor, opened before Mar. 5, 1946. Népszava, Mar. 5, 1946, p. 4.

69 S. S., “Svájcban, Ausztriában és Csehszlovákiában rendeznek kiállítást Kádár György auschwitzi képeiből,” Dolgozók Világlapja, Apr. 6, 1946, p. 10.

70 Gyenes Gitta, Fészek Klub, Oct. 26–Nov. 10, 1946. In addition to this series, the exhibition included further works as well. “Gyenes Gitta festőművész kiállítása a Fészekben,” Magyar Nemzet, Oct. 26, 1946, p. 4; Mr., “Gyenes Gitta kiállítása,” Kossuth Népe, Nov. 2, 1946, p. 6.

71 Román György, Képzőművészek Szabadszervezete, opened on Nov. 23, 1947. Szabadság, Nov. 14, 1947, p. 4; Magyar Nemzet, Nov. 23, 1947, p. 2; Endre Murányi-Kovács, “Képzőművészet,” Haladás, Nov. 27, 1947, p. 10.

72 Drawings to be exhibited soon: B. F., “7 képzőművészeti hír,” Demokrácia, Dec. 2, 1945, p. 8. She participated in two exhibitions, most probably the drawings were not exhibited at the first one (artists from Szentendre), but rather at the second, organized at the district VI location of the Social Democratic Party (41 Andrássy Avenue). B. F., “7 képzőművészeti hír,” Demokrácia, Dec. 9, 1945, p. 8; S. Sz. [Sándor Szerdahelyi?], “Szocialista képzőművészek kiállítása,” Népszava, Dec. 16, 1945, p. 2. Cf. Veronika Pócs, “Una pintora y mecenas en Budapest después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. El rol y la actividad artística de Margit Eppinger Weisz entre 1945 y 1948,” in Margit Eppinger Weisz. Travesías (Buenos Aires: Fundación OSDE, 2019), pp. 13–27.

73 Áldor Péter, Bibliotheca Officina, opened before May 25, 1946. P. Gy. N., “Áldor Péter kiállítása,” Új Magyarország, May 28, 1946, p. 11; J. F., “Áldor Péter grafikái a Bibliothecában,” Kossuth Népe, May 25, 1946, p. 4.

74 Péter Áldor, “Így láttam a háborús bűnösöket!,” Dolgozók Világlapja, Nov. 24, p. 6; Dec. 1, p. 2; Dec. 8, p. 28; Dec. 15, p. 8; Dec. 29, p. 30, 1945.

75 Péter Áldor, “A spanyol válság a műteremben,” Új Magyarország, April 23, 1946, p. 8.

76 Bányai Viktória, “Gyermekrajzok a Vészkorszakról,” Ezredvég, vol. 31, no. 2 (March-April 2021): pp. 139–47. I would like to thank Viktória Bányai for generously sharing information about her ongoing research.

77 Ernest [Ernő] Barta, Danse macabre 1944–45 (Budapest: Edition Körmendy, 1945/1946). Barta Ernő, Barta Éva, Szalmássy Galéria, May 2–27, 1948. Kelet, vol. 33, no. 5 (May 1948): p. 8; Magyar Nemzet, May 13, 1948, p. 2. Barta Ernő, Fészek, opened on May 28, 1949. Haladás, May 25, 1949, p. 11; Máriusz Rabinovszky, “Kiállítások,” Szabad Művészet, vol. 3, no. 6 (June 1949): p. 258.

78 Cf. Harsányi, A fényből, p. 303.

79 A photographic reproduction, showing the works with the wings open: Lipót Herman, Ezékiel látomása (Ezekiel’s vision), 60 × 67.5 cm, Hungarian Jewish Museum and Archives, inv. no. 64.1641. Magyar Nemzet, Aug. 2, 1949, p. 4; “Mohácsi Jenő, Szomory Dezső, Révész Béla alakjai Herman Lipót mártírokról készült szárnyasképén,” Magyar Nemzet, July 6, 1949, p. 3; “Hatalmas mártírfestményt fejezett be Herman Lipót,” Világ, July 26, 1949, p. 4. Cf. Bohus, “Parallel Memories,” pp. 99–100.

80 There were quite a few initiatives, without any apparent results. At the end of February 1945, the Budapesti Nemzeti Bizottság (National Committee of Budapest) decided to organize an antifascist exhibition, which – due to reasons unknown – did not take place. Ferenc Gáspár and László Halasi, (eds.), A Budapesti Nemzeti Bizottság jegyzőkönyvei 1945–1946 (Budapest: Budapest Főváros Levéltára, 1975), pp. 49, 51. According to the call for submissions, an ‘antifascist exhibition’ was planned by the Nemzeti Segély (National Aid) for September 1945, but there is no trace whether the show materialized. “Antifasiszta kiállítást rendez a Nemzeti Segély,” Magyar Jövő: A Nemzeti Segély Lapja, July 14, 1945, p. 1. A similar call was issued for another antifascist exhibition, planned by the local branch of the Antifasiszta Szövetség (Antifascist Alliance) in the city of Miskolc, without further trace. Felvidéki Népszava, Mar. 7, 1948, p. 3. It seems that news of the Vienna ‘Antifascist Exhibition’ (certainly the ‘Niemals vergessen!’) coming to Budapest were also unfounded. Dunántúli Népszava, May 1, 1947, p. 5.

81 The material included posters, newspapers and decrees. “A Zsidó Múzeum megnyitása,” Magyar Nemzet, July 5, 1947, p. 3; M. R., “Újra megnyílik a Zsidó Múzeum. Beszámoló a megmaradt és széthordott kincsekről,” Világ, July 5, 1947, p. 4.

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Daniel Véri

Daniel Véri (PhD), is an art and cultural historian, and a researcher at the Central European Research Institute for Art History (KEMKI, at the Museum of Fine Arts) in Budapest. A former Central European University (CEU) Jewish Studies postdoctoral fellow (2021–2022) and member of the ‘Confrontations: Sessions in East European Art History’ research group (University College London, 2019–2022), he studied at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE, History of Art: MA, 2009; PhD, 2016), and at CEU (History, 2010). Véri’s research interests include Central European Art from 1945 to 1989, especially the artistic reception of Jewish identity and the Holocaust, as well as cultural diplomacy and the cultural history of blood libels. He is author of ‘Leading the Dead’ – The World of János Major (2013), and co-author of The Great Book Theft: French Book Exhibition Behind the Iron Curtain (2020). He curated numerous research-based exhibitions, most recently ‘The Modern Idol: Henry Moore in the Eastern Bloc’ (Bucharest, 2021–2022). His latest study is ‘Commissioned Memory: Hungarian Exhibitions in Auschwitz, 1960/1965’ (exhibition: Blinken Open Society Archives, 2023; forthcoming book: CEU Press, 2024).