Temporary Exhibitions

Tamás Konok & Tamás Vásárhelyi:
Space – Movement – Game (Fekete Ház gallery)

The exhibition is the result of an extraordinary collaboration between the painter Tamás
Konok and the biologist Tamás Vásárhelyi. Drawing on ideas from Konok ‘s geometric
elements and fine lines, Vásárhelyi constructs his cunning objects based on physical
phenomena by extending these structures into space.
Images and objects comment on each other and pair up to offer the opportunity for a happy-
go-lucky kind of game in plane and space.
The exhibition is open 18 February – 30 April 2022, 10:00-18:00 every day.

Joachim – Impressionist of the Moonlight (Fekete ház gallery)
On the first floor of the Fekete ház gallery, the Móra Ferenc Museum presents Ferenc Joachim, a unique, forgotten painter from Szeged, representative of the so-called “Moonlight Impressionism”. Joachim’s art was fueled by the many moods of French modernity at the turn of the century: from the night lights to the brilliant impressionistic sunshine, from the naivety reminiscent of Csontváry’s art to the symbolistic dance of the sirens. The exhibition JOACHIM – Impressionist of the Moonlight, selected from prestigious private and public collections, draws attention to the exceptional values of an extraordinary oeuvre.
The curators of the exhibition are art historian Gábor Rieder and restorer artist Tamás Szabó.
The exhibition is open 20 March – 3 July 2022, every day 10:00-18:00

Ferenc Csejtei Joachim (1882–1964) is an exceptional representative of Hungarian painters a century ago whose works spoke with his self-styled French voice and are waiting for discovery. His artistry has sprung from the aesthetic world of Impressionism, Neo-Impressionism, and Symbolism dominated by the turn of the century’s sensitive night-like tones. The painter, whose life was full of struggle, was recognized first in Szeged, the city where he was born, although he exhibited frequently not only in Budapest, but also throughout Europe. After short visits to study in Szeged, Pest, Munich and Nagybánya, he arrived first to Paris in 1905, the capital city of the birth of modern art, and then again in 1907 as holder of a scholarship from Szeged. Although he did not participate in a systematic academic training, he witnessed the lively activities of the modern Hungarian artists and he became a good friend of Béla Czóbel, János Mattis Teutsch, and later József Brummer, who in time became a well-known New York art dealer.
In contrast to his friends who were attracted to the Avant-garde, Joachim was mesmerized by the magic world of Impressionism, and the following Post- and Neo-Impressionism. Even within this theme, only the exceptional optical world of the sunset plays a role in his works with dominant blue and lilac colours. He himself called this transient time of the day “evening-mood”, while we call this “Moonlight Impressionism”. To search for this characteristic sunset-like shades of light, he explored the Riviera, mainly the region surrounding Marseilles and Menton, but ultimately he arrived at one of the favourite locations of the impressionists, Honfleur. These are the locations where the night-time seashore landscapes were born, which makes Joachim’s works unique, and ensures him a separate niche within the modern Hungarian art scene. In 1913, he has already exhibited in the “Salon of the Independents” in Paris, but his career was interrupted by the outbreak of World War I. Although he continued to paint as a lieutenant, and remained productive even in the 1920s, he could not continue his earlier international career. This is when in addition to the moon-lit landscapes and the naïv interior paintings, the popular impressionistic sunshine filled flowering trees appeared.
Between the two world wars, Joachim lived alternatively between Szeged and Budapest, although he had a chance for occasional trips to Europe, for example Marseilles, Venice, and Vienna, etc. The Holocaust times were spent with hiding his Jewish life-partner and their children, while in the socialist regime he remained silent and was marginalized. His last exhibition took place in 1945 in the Culture-Palace in Szeged. During his struggling career, he followed his artistic ideals, even though often he had to live in privation. He has always found a few supporters, namely the art supporters in Szeged, for example the famous art collector Bernát Back, or Dr. Ferenc Wolf. Two of his paintings are in the collection of the Hungarian National Gallery, and the Móra Ferenc Museum in Szeged retains 19 of his paintings, which were restored in 2017 by the financial support of the artist’s grandson who lives in Boston. Other excellent paintings are owned by members of his surviving family and private collectors both in Hungary and abroad. The exceptional vitality of the dazzling paintings in their newly restored full and glorious light has called for the painter’s 140th anniversary exhibition in 2022. In the exhibit and the accompanying catalogue, after decades of hiding such works will be showcased which argue that Ferenc Joachim’s “Moonlight Impressionism” demands recognition and a separate chapter in the historical pages of modern Hungarian paintings.