- Dates
- —
- Curated by
- Lorand Hegyi
Art in Central Europe (1949-1999)
Europe is currently undergoing profound social, political and economic changes. At stake is the creation of the foundations for a new, united Europe. An important element of this process is the so-called ‘enlargement’ of the European Union with the incorporation of the countries of the former socialist bloc of Eastern Europe. It should be noted that the countries of Europe form a cultural and intellectual community shaped by two thousand years of common history, as well as by a crucial positive coexistence of various cultures.
Central Europe, or Mitteleuropa, played a decisive cultural role for a long time, especially in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when cities such as Vienna, Prague and Budapest were major literary, philosophical and scientific centres. But the political situation during the Cold War and the division of Europe into East and West meant that this region lost its prominence and came to be considered a peripheral area.
The aim of this exhibition is to offer a new vision of such a fascinating subject as Central European art, with a particular focus on the period of the political division of Europe and the great changes that the former Eastern Bloc has undergone over the past ten years. Our intention is to show Central European culture in all its historical complexity, framed within a global cultural and geopolitical context. Austria as well as the former Yugoslavia and the states that have recently emerged from it are also included in the exhibition, given that the cultural development of these countries illustrates the specific features of Central Europe in the fields of literature, theatre, visual arts, architecture, and so on.
