Will the exhibition about the relationship between Cézanne and the past in the Museum of Fine Arts match the expectations promised by its title?
MúzeumCafé 33.
– Ernő Marosi, art historian, full member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences – The title of the exhibition, Cézanne and the Past, does not help much. Cézanne is understandable, but it matters whether you should think of the art of the past or the past of the art. The public can first of all appreciate that these concepts have come across. The exhibition started off from the museum’s own collection, making the works of art at hand speak to visitors, telling as much as possible about them in a modern light and putting them into context. As many Cézanne exhibitions, so many Cézannes. Most important for the exhibition in Budapest is that its context is something new and up-to-date, involving the integrity of Cézanne’s personality and the development of his art.
– László Csorba, historian, director of the Hungarian National Museum – There is nothing more unfair than to call an exhibition to account for what is not there. This may have many reasons and most often it has nothing to do with the aims to be achieved. What must be examined is what an exhibition presents, why and how it does it. It had to be made clear that this was not a ‘Cézanne exhibition’ as such, rather a Cézanne and the Past exhibition. Hence not only are they are not disappointed but they can enjoy what is really special and original in the exhibition.
– József Mélyi, art historian, art critic, president of Aica Hungary: Cézanne and the Past is an outstanding exhibition in the history of the Fine Arts Museum, and will be regarded as important in relation to the past and probably the future decades of Hungarian museums. It is a project carefully prepared with the precise work of curators for several years, which any large museum in Europe, Asia or America would be happy to have.