Veils of oblivion

A conversation with Katalin Sinkó

MúzeumCafé 16.

The volume on the 50-year history of the Hungarian National Gallery published last year was acclaimed as the best critical text by the Hungarian Section of AICA. It follows the history of the National Gallery from the idea of its foundation at the start of the 19th century to the present with thorough attention and understanding criticism. “Even so, due to lack of time I haven’t managed to process the entire material. Yet the sources were sufficient to formulate questions and to seek answers to those. “I had to omit the stories. Though I talked to many people who witnessed the past and provided important information, the topic had to be limited somewhere. I tried to look at the history of the institution with the eye of an outsider. “I worked for the state-owned antique dealers BÁV for two decades from 1959. I studied at the university besides working. I was a valuer. Initially, I was not admitted to university because my father worked for an ecclesiastical newspaper. I was the eldest of four children and my mother was very concerned about me. She always complained: ‘I can’t do anything with this kid, she’s so unpractical but loves museums.’ Then it turned out a neighbour worked as a secretary to the legal advisor for BÁV and I was asked to go in. When I left the company I stayed at home for a year. Then Gyöngyi Éri, deputy director of the National Gallery, contacted me. She had met me at university and realised I had a practical sense as regards paintings and also knew the collectors. When there was a job opening she took me on. I was good for the position. Since I was not unknown to the customers and since I did not do business with them – that was very much prohibited and watched – the gallery was not concerned for either the collectors or the museum because of me. It was a peculiar situation. I was lucky.”