A selection from the ArtHáz gallery collection

The exhibition project presents a selection of works of art from the private Košice collection, not yet accessible to the public ArtHáz Galérie (AHG). In this case, the selection of works at the exhibition was subject to a specific curatorial approach. This is not strictly a classical curatorial approach, but it is a cross-section of one of the highest quality private collections in Slovakia, in which the collector himself has the last word. The exhibition spaces of the East Slovak Gallery made it possible for this private collection to be made available to the public for the first time on a larger scale, even before it was installed as a permanent exhibition at ArtHáz Galérie in Košice on Hlavná Street no. 87.

The exhibition of the ArtHáz collection is the result of almost 30 years of collecting activity. It is divided conceptually into three sections that reflect specific areas of interest to the collector. These are primarily focused on the Košice artistic circuit of the first half of the 20th century with a slight overlap into the 60s and 70s of the last century. The first part of the exhibition is dedicated to the core of the collection, i.e. Košice modernism, its vanguard and followers. The second part is represented by the interesting location of Anton Jasusch's large-scale canvases from the 1950s and 1960s, in which he returns to his major themes from the interwar period, but also reflects the socio-critical legacy of Košice modernism. The third part, called the "Two or Two" Collection, presents a more emotional approach without belonging to a specific circle. Its name ironically refers to the confusion of the numeral two - two (two women - two oaks), which is a language specific of eastern Slovakia. The intention of the exhibition is not to offer an art-historical analysis of individual works, but to present subjective preferences for high artistic quality and a reflection of our sometimes harsh art market. Thus, the exhibition does not only discuss the works themselves, but is the story of a person - a collector and the developmental stages of building an art collection. The mentioned term "rough" art market, not only in the case of private owners, but also of state collection-making institutions, names the undeniable reality of the unavailability of some authors from the period of the 20s and 30s of the last century. Of course, this also includes the economic dimension, which only underlines the mystical veil of inaccessibility. Despite the difficult construction of the ArtHáz collection, the result is more than remarkable and today competes with many public cultural institutions. This is also evidenced by the focus on specific authors of Košice Modernism, who form the core of this exceptional private collection. Other collecting in Košice has its own long-standing tradition. We will not exaggerate if we look back to the phenomenon of collecting back to the second half of the 19th century, to the efforts of the Klimkovic brothers, or later in the interwar period to the agile director of the East Slovak Museum, Josef Polák. Private collections stimulated the state to establish museums and galleries, and often these collections became the basis of young institutions. Today, the ArtHáz collection is a relevant part of large international exhibition projects, which present, for example, the avant-garde art of the Košice circle and their followers, or significantly complement the author's holdings, in the case of ArtHáz, especially the work of Anton Jasusch, who, according to the collector, started it all.

The currently presented exhibition is proof of relevant cooperation between a public institution and the private sector. The connection of collections is always necessary for curatorial concepts and scientific-research activities in the evaluation of our history, or monographic processing of specific authors. The ArtHáz collection has several years of experience in important art-historical projects, thus it is already valued by art historians and unforgettable in current and future research in the context of art history. The ArtHáz Gallery collection will be made available to the public in 2025 in the gallery's own premises. In addition to exhibition activities, the gallery will focus on educational and lecture activities with a specific focus on the period of Košice Modernism.

List of authors represented at the exhibition:

Konstantin Bauer, Jozef Bendík, Juraj Collinásy, Ľudovít Csordák, Vojtech Erdélyi, Štefan Fodor, František Foltýn, Elemír Halász-Hradil, Ján Hála, Vincent Hložník, Július Jakoby, Anton Jasusch, Gejza Kieselbach, Jozef Kollár, Konstantin Kővari-Kačmarik, Eugen Krón, Štefan Prohászka-Tallós, Štefan Prukner, Gejza Schiller, Miloš Šimurda, Ernest Zmeták.

Location : Hall Q, Hlavná 27, Košice