An exhibition of the famous Hungarian artist Mihai Munkachi - master of "ruthless realism" - was opened in St. Petersburg

The exhibition of the famous Hungarian artist Mihai Munkachi - master of "ruthless realism" - was opened on April 24 in the Nikolaevsky hall of the Winter Palace.

The exhibition is organized by the State Hermitage Museum together with the Museum of Fine Arts - the Hungarian National Gallery (Budapest) and Imre Pak, collector, president of the Mihai Munkachi International Foundation (New York).

A large-scale retrospective of Mihai Munkachi, which includes more than 60 master works, is being held in St. Petersburg for the first time.

 
The work of Mihai Munkachi (1844-1900) occupies a unique place in the history of Hungarian and world art. It combines and harmonizes various directions and genres. The solemn dignity of the monumental works, the ease of the salon scenes, the realism of the portraits represent an artistic value comparable to the works of the most famous European artists. His characters reflect the suffering and life struggles of the artist. His realistic genre paintings make up a mosaic of scenes from the life of Hungarian peasants, while salon painting, by contrast, illustrates the ideal carefree city life.

The works of Mihai Munkachi are highly appreciated by critics, collectors and artists. I. Repin called him a magnificent colorist, V. Stasov noted the "ruthless realism" of the artist: "Munkachi is one of the most resolute, indomitable realists in Europe ... He is bold, sharp, wrong, but deeply truthful and expressive: the creators of new schools and directions are always like that. "

One of the reasons for the extraordinary interest in Munkachi's creativity is his rich biography, in which simultaneously there are dizzying ups and downs, impenetrable grief and dazzling luxury, deep solitude and stormy social life.