The retrospective exhibition of Lajos Tihanyi, one of the great masters of Hungarian expressionism and the avant-garde, who experimented with bold colour compositions and abstract forms, showcases nearly two hundred works, including his most important paintings, drawings, and various objects from his estate.

For decades, the work of Tihanyi, born 140 years ago, was known to the Hungarian public almost exclusively from black-and-white reproductions. He died relatively young, at the age of fifty-three, in Paris, and most of his oeuvre was preserved during World War II by his friends in France (Brassaï, Jacques de la Frégonnière, and Ervin Preiss Marton), who later donated it to the Hungarian state. The artist’s estate made its way from Paris to the collection of the Hungarian National Gallery fifty-five years ago by way of a remarkable journey, the story of which visitors can also discover at the exhibition.

The exhibition brings together paintings and drawings from the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts – Hungarian National Gallery, complemented by works on loan from several public and private collections. The figure of the artist is also evoked in photographs taken by his close friends and fellow artists, André Kertész and Brassaï.

Curator: Mariann Gergely.

The exhibition is available until 15 February 2026. Read more: https://en.mng.hu/exhibitions/tihanyi-140-the-life-and-works-of-lajos-tihanyi-1885-1938/