# Hungarian University of Fine Arts

The Hungarian University of Fine Arts (Hungarian: Magyar Képzőművészeti Egyetem, MKE) is the central Hungarian art school in Budapest, Andrássy Avenue. It was founded in 1871 as the Hungarian Royal Drawing School (Magyar Királyi Mintarajztanoda) and has been called University of Fine Arts since 2001.

## History

Until the mid-19th century, Hungarian artists were learning fine arts in Western European academies. The National Society of Hungarian Fine Arts (Országos Magyar Képzőművészeti Társulat) founded in 1861 was initiating the establishment of a Hungarian school of fine arts. Owing to this movement the Hungarian Royal Drawing School and Art Teachers' College (Magyar Királyi Mintarajztanoda és Rajztanárképezde) was opened in 1871. The present-day building of the university was built in 1877, designed by Alajos Rauscher and Adolf Lang.
In later decades, the school developed programs for training not only painters and sculptors, but artist-craftsmen, mosaic- and gobelin-makers, stage designers, costumers, and restorers. Numerous prominent Hungarian artists taught there, including the painters Károly Ferenczy, János Vaszary, Viktor Olgyai, Róbert Berény, Aurél Bernáth, Jenő Barcsay, and Márta Lacza; sculptor Béni Ferenczy and other notable artists.

### Presidents from 1871

| 1871–1902: Gusztáv Kelety, painter 1902–1905: Bertalan Székely, painter 1905–1920: Pál Szinyei Merse, painter 1921–1923: Károly Lyka, art historian 1923–1925: István Csók, painter 1925–1927: Oszkár Glatz, painter 1927–1931: István Réti, painter 1931–1932: Károly Andreetti, architect 1932–1935: István Réti, painter 1935–1937: Ágost Benkhard, painter 1937–1939: Antal Meyer, artist-craftsman 1939–1940: Gyula Rudnay, painter 1940: Dezső Pilch, painter 1940–1941: Ferenc Sidló, sculptor 1941–1943: Dezső Pilch, painter | 1943: László Kandó, painter 1943–1945: Jenő Bory, architect, sculptor 1945: Lajos Varga-Nándor, draughtsman, painter 1945–1947: László Kandó, painter 1947–1949: Pál Pátzay, sculptor 1949–1956: Sándor Bortnyik, painter, draughtsman 1956–1973: Endre Domanovszky, painter 1973–1985: József Somogyi, sculptor 1985–1989: István Kiss, sculptor 1990–1995: Lajos Sváby, painter 1995–2002: Árpád Szabados, painter 2002–2005: Ádám Farkas, sculptor 2005–2013: Frigyes Kőnig, painter 2013–2016: Tibor Somorjai-Kiss, graphic since 2016: Judit Csanádi, stage designer |

## Buildings

* Hungarian University of Fine Arts (Hungary, Budapest, 1062 Andrássy út 69–71.) with the Barcsay-hall.
* Strawberry's Garden (Budapest, 1063 Kmety Gy u. 26–28. )
* Feszty House (Budapest, 1063, Bajza u. 39)
* Somogyi József Artists' Colony (Tihany, 8237 Major u. 63.)

## Departments

* Program in Fine Art Theory
* Visual Education Program
* Scenography Program
* Intermedia Program
* Conservation Program
* Graphic Design Program
* Printmaking Program
* Sculpture Program
* Painting Program
* Doctoral Programme

## Notable people

* 1879–1959 Jenő Bory
* 1934–2008: János Major, graphic artist
* 1946: Orshi Drozdik, Feminist artist
* 2002: Márta Kucsora, contemporary artist

## Exhibitions

Barcsay-hall (Barcsay-terem) is the biggest gallery to exhibit the student's and foreign's artworks. But you will find four other smaller places to show the artworks.