The Hungarian National Museum and the Kovács Gábor Art Foundation staged an exhibition titled Affinities and Transformations in the spring of 2013, an initiative that was unique in the local cultural scene for a number of reasons. The exhibit offered an extensive view of Hungarian painting in the 18th and 19th centuries, with all the exhibits borrowed from private collections. As a consequence, the display had significance not only as an art historical overview of the birth of the nation’s painting and its development until the end of the 19th century, but also as a rare moment of cultural history when the hidden treasures of private collections left their homes for a few months before becoming invisible again for the public eye.

Authors: Orsolya Hessky, János Jernyei Kiss,  Anna Szinyei Merse, Gabriella Szvoboda Dománszky
Publishers: Kovács Gábor Art Foundation,  Hungarian National Museum
Year of publication: 2013
Language: Hungarian-English
Hard cover,  pp. 172