29.6 °C
The Virág Judit Gallery is home to the world's most expensive Art Nouveau Zsolnay ceramics. You can view the sensational exhibition for free. Read on for more information.
For the first time, the public can see the private collection of Zsolnay collected by Judit Virág and István Törő over three decades. More than a hundred Art Nouveau masterpieces, the world's most expensive Zsolnay ceramics, will be presented from March 6 to April 19 at the Virág Judit Gallery in Budapest, at a spectacular free exhibition.
The groundbreaking event will present the treasures of the founders and co-owners of the Virág Judit Gallery to the public. István Törő picked up Éva Csenkey's book Art Nouveau Zsolnay Ceramics in the early 1990s - the successful businessman had already collected paintings and coins before, and his passion for Zsolnay had joined him.
“In 1996, I received a call that an amazing ceramic collection of 10 pieces was for sale, including such special items as the Witch Figure or one of the tulip cups. Only a few of these pieces exist,” István Törő recalled. “I found out that the collection was brought from Serbia to Hungary by Judit Virág, and we managed to come to an agreement.” The couple soon opened the Mű-terem gallery on Falk Miksa Street, which became one of the iconic venues of the Hungarian art market under the name of Virág Judit Galéria.
“In the 70s and 80s - after eight decades - collectors rediscovered Art Nouveau, and the hunt for Zsolnay ceramics began. At first, the objects changed hands for pennies and migrated to Western Europe and America, because there was no demand for the valuable pieces here. At the beginning of the 2000s, the tide turned: the first solvent Hungarian Zsolnay collectors appeared and the return of masterpieces to Hungary began. Today, Zsolnay has become the most expensive Art Nouveau ceramics in the world, 70% of the large collections are now located here,” said István Törő.
The Virág Judit Gallery consciously built up the Zsolnay commercial center. The pieces belonging to the manufactory are constantly included in the auctions, and last year the fifth dedicated Zsolnay auction was held, where several ceramics were sold for over a hundred thousand dollars.
Wonderful works of art at an unforgettable, free exhibition in Budapest
István Törő’s private collection consists of several hundred Art Nouveau pieces, about one hundred and twenty of which can be admired by the public at the exhibition opening on March 6. Among the highlighted works of art is the small sculpture entitled Rose Scent, which is a poetic expression of beauty and eroticism. The exhibition will also feature those exceptional objects that Zsolnay The factory presented its works at the turn-of-the-century world exhibitions - only a few of these were made.
The new exhibition at the Virág Judit Gallery offers a cultural experience, as it not only presents rare and valuable objects, but also the 150-year history of the Zsolnay factory and the lives of the creators.
The Virág Judit Gallery considers it important that these objects, made with outstanding artistic demand and technical feat, be admired by as many people as possible, which is why the most significant Zsolnay Art Nouveau ceramics exhibition of the last 30 years can be viewed free of charge during opening hours.
Photos: Eszter Gordon
