On April 12, a large-scale exhibition of the works of Gyula Hincz opened in the Érdi Gallery on the 120th anniversary of his birth. Speaking of which, the Friendship of peoples tapestry, which has been hanging in the Gyula Szepes Cultural Center since 1975, on the wall to the right of the theater entrance, and which the artist designed directly for Érd at the request of that year.
The other day, a lady called me on the phone, she said she read my article in Érdi Újság and wanted to share some very important information with me. I pricked up my ears curiously. It turned out that the lady and her husband are big fans of Hincz’s tapestries, and they have visited Szepes countless times over the past decades just to admire the In the friendship of peoples. When they entered the exhibition hall of Érdi Galéria at the opening with great anticipation in their hearts, they immediately saw that something was wrong.
“You, Zsuzsa.” (fictitious name), the picture on the wall is reversed. Look, Hincz’s signature is in the upper left corner – the lady quoted her husband.
As soon as I hung up the phone, I immediately started investigating. I solved the case faster than Poirot solved any of the murders. Thanks and gratitude to Katalin Varga, artistic director of the Érdi Gallery.
I have the materials that clearly prove that the correct view of the Hincz tapestry is the one we can see now in the exhibition.
Art historian and curator Barbara Dudás, who has been working on researching Gyula Hincz’s oeuvre since 2016, confirmed:
“Unfortunately, it sometimes happens that the sign is placed upside down on the tapestry, they probably realized it late in the weaving process…”
In 1976, MTV produced a Hincz portrait film, in which the artist also talks about the tapestry from Érd, and for a few clips it can be seen that the tapestry is exhibited as it is now.
In the February 18, 1975 edition of the Pest Megyei Hírlap, it is reported that the Hincz tapestry arrived in Szepes, and the attached picture also shows the original correct view, i.e. the emphasized round figure formed by the palms is located on the left side of the picture when viewed from the eye .
But this was also confirmed by the visual artists Mihály Kéri and Emil Eőry from Érd, who also knew Gyula Hincz personally, Kéri himself organized the ’75 exhibition, so if anyone, they really know that the current one is the correct view of the picture, and the weavers are the signature woven upside down in the upper left corner.
Of course, I don’t blame anyone who started from the assumption that the sign, as always in the history of art, is in the lower right corner, so you have to look at the picture that way.
So, for decades, this tapestry hung upside down on the wall, waiting for Zoltán Vermes, acting director of Szepes, to come, who in just one year not only shook up the cultural life of the city, but also put the Hincz tapestry on its feet. .
The Kaleidoscope – Gyula Hincz 120 temporary exhibition can be viewed until July 13, 2024, during the gallery’s opening hours (Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.).
In connection with the exhibition, visitors are welcomed with colorful and exciting programs, as well as museum pedagogic sessions.
