The Legend of the Palette of Miklós Bánffy
The Legend of the Palette of Miklós Bánffy

Summary/Abstract: Ihave often been asked how and why I organized the travelling exhibition on the life and work of Miklós Bánffy. Depending on my mood at the time, I explained more or less rationally what had taken place and how. Then after awhile I too began to wonder, what had actually taken place? The exhibition continues down its own path, and in the meantime I ponder whether it is sufficiently engaging and whether it really conveys what I had hoped to convey. This question popped up most recently when I was guiding illustrious guests, Dr Peter Vergo of the Royal Academy, art historian Zoltán Rockenbauer, and restorer Zoltán Kemény, around the Fekete Ház, or “Black House” (a cultural institute that is home to exhibition spaces, among other things), in Szeged, as well as Gergely Barki, known in his field simply as a “paint hunter”, who asked how many original works would be included in the exhibition. I took a deep breath and confessed that in addition to two works depicting Bánffy, there would only be a sword that had been made available to us by the grandchild of one of Bánffy’s manservants.

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