“It’s necessary to think on a state level about developing the brand of Hungarian painting”
Péter Molnos, art historian
MúzeumCafé 48.
Art historian Péter Molnos is not fully involved in the museum system yet he has helped stage many exhibitions. Recently he was the curator of Pictures of a Disappearing World, an exhibition at the Rómer Flóris Arts and History Museum about the oeuvre of Count Gyula Batthyány, which was first staged at the Kieselbach Gallery. Molnos became noted primarily in connection with the history of collecting and issues of authenticity, and he is known to turn up at the Ecseri Street antiques market every Saturday morning. He is not tied to any museum, nor is he officially on the staff of the Kieselbach Gallery. True, they have a close relationship and he acknowledges the professional debt he owes to Tamás Kieselbach, who realised years ago that Péter Molnos was suitable for certain tasks and gave him much work, which took up a large part of his working day. Yet examining the list of his publications reveals a great deal – he has worked for many major museums and journals. This year he is involved with 2-3 exhibitions and he will have at least two books published. Nevertheless, part of his activity gives the impression as if he were stuck in an inferior profession. For the time being he does not regard museum work as appropriate for him, although he acknowledges that institutes have changed. Independently of his own situation, he entirely agrees that it’s necessary to think on a state level about developing the brand of Hungarian painting. According to Molnos, new issues have always been discovered by the art trade, because the dealer or collector risks his own money, is flexible with less responsibility. It is in the nature of a large museum to be sluggish, since it disposes of public money or that of patrons, and thus is more conservative and less likely to take risks.