Beyond Our Senses / The Art of Jenő Barcsay and Pál Deim

This year, the Modern Gallery – Vass Collection also presents leading artists of the Szentendre art scene. The exhibitions commemorate the 125th anniversary of the birth of Jenő Barcsay.

He began his studies in the autumn of 1921, first in the class of János Vaszary and later Béla Rudnay at the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts. After World War II, between 1945 and 1948, he was a member of the European School artists' group. A turning point in his life came in 1945 when he was appointed professor of anatomy and visual theory at the Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest, where he taught generations of artists until his retirement in 1975.

His anatomy book, published in 1953, became an international reference work, translated into about 15 languages. In 1964, he received the Artist of Merit award and was one of the featured artists in the Hungarian pavilion of the 32nd Venice Biennale. His last major exhibition during his lifetime opened in September 1982 at the Kunsthalle Budapest, showcasing his late geometric-abstract, monochrome works – a surprise to contemporary art critics.

László Vass was among the first to recognize the significance of this late period. A close personal and professional friendship connected the collector and the artist. Barcsay’s guidance greatly supported Vass – a master shoemaker – in developing his collection.

In the history of the Modern Gallery – Vass Collection, Barcsay’s late minimalist works serve as a starting point; it is a conscious curatorial choice that the permanent exhibition opens with these pieces.

The new temporary selection from the collection is linked to these works and highlights the art of Pál Deim, a student of Barcsay. The versatile oeuvre of the Szentendre-born artist includes paintings, sculptures, and graphic works. His distinctive style within geometric non-figurative art is marked by the conscious use of a unique visual language.

His artistic expression was influenced both by Lajos Vajda’s constructive-surrealist vision and by Barcsay’s constructive painting. Jenő Barcsay taught anatomy to Pál Deim at the Academy in Budapest, and their master-student relationship later turned into a personal friendship in Szentendre.

As Deim recalled:
*"Human beings are confined in time and space, limited by narrow boundaries, yet capable of slowly and gradually expanding those limits. Within this small range of possibilities, we must organize the dimensions of time and space in such a way that there are always small windows through which the light of the world beyond our senses may shine in. This ensures creation, and this is what guarantees the immortality of creation. For me, this alignment with the infinite is what Jenő Barcsay – Uncle Jenő, the Master."