New York, NY – June 13, 2008 – Throughout 2009, American audiences will have an unprecedented opportunity to experience contemporary Hungarian culture through a broad spectrum of visual, literary and performing arts programming held at leading cultural institutions in New York and D.C. This yearlong festival, titled Extremely Hungary, will trace the roots of contemporary Hungarian culture and celebrate the innovations and artistic creations that Hungarians have made over the past century, many of which have had a strong impact on American culture.
Extremely Hungary highlights the enduring connections between America and Hungary, and the contributions that Hungarians and Hungarian-Americans have made to arts and culture—from the Bauhaus to Robert Capa, Casablanca to Béla Bartók. Programs will celebrate Hungary’s rich fin de siécle culture in tandem with events that introduce contemporary Hungarian artists and performers, many of whom are renowned in Europe but not yet known in America. The festival reveals aspects of Hungary’s thriving contemporary culture through concerts, exhibitions, opera, new plays, literary symposia, and even such whimsical events as a Hungarian moustache contest.
Organized by New York’s Hungarian Cultural Center, Extremely Hungary will be held at premiere arts institutions throughout the two cities, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Jewish Museum, and the 92nd Street Y in New York, and the National Gallery and Library of Congress in D.C.
“Hungary has witnessed tremendous change in the last hundred years, and its innovative cultural output reflects that dynamism,” said George Soros, chairman of Extremely Hungary. “Hungary’s contemporary visual, performing and literary arts reflect the extraordinary flux of politics and territory in modern Europe—imperialism, war, revolution, communism, the European Union, and the free market,” added festival chairwoman Kati Marton. Both Mr. Soros and Ms. Marton were born in Hungary and came to the U.S. as part of the twentieth-century immigration that brought waves of Hungarian talent to America.
Festival Programs and Events
The diverse programming of Extremely Hungary features some 30 events, ranging from exhibitions and performances to avant-garde installations and a modern reinterpretation of the traditional Austro-Hungarian opera ball. Alongside its cultural programming, Extremely Hungary will also address the impact of politics and of the fall of the Iron Curtain—2009 marks its 20th anniversary—with programs at the New York Public Library and PEN World Voices.
“In the two decades since the fall of communism, Hungary has undergone a renaissance to reestablish itself as the Paris of the East, a moniker gained during the early 20th century when its cultural energy—the literary coffeehouses, the music of composers like Béla Bartók, the beginning of the Bauhaus—was practically unmatched in Europe,” said László Jakab Orsós, the Director of the Hungarian Cultural Center of New York. “Extremely Hungary will present this new generation of artists to American audiences, many for the first time.”
The festival kicks off in January 2009 at Carnegie Hall with “Celebrating Hungary,” a two-week concert series of Hungarian musicians and composers, featuring repertoire as diverse as Haydn’s courtly masterworks and composer and performer György Kurtág’s New York debut.
In the spring, the Jewish Museum will present “Danube Exodus,” an interactive multimedia installation of found footage by 2007 Erasmus Prize winner Péter Forgács. The installation traces two historic voyages on the Danube River: the first, the exodus of Jews escaping down the Danube in 1939, the second, a “reverse” exodus of Germans fleeing Soviets up the Danube one year later.
During the fall the International Center of Photography will present an exhibition of rarely seen photographs by Hungarian women social photographers of the 1920s and 30s, providing insight to an important and relatively unknown part of the history of Hungarian photography. The exhibition will be enhanced by images of the photographers at work between the two wars.
Other programs in New York include:
Productions of new Hungarian plays at the Lincoln Center Festival, an annual summer-long showcase of international theater;
Cabarets of Hungarian music at the Neue Galerie’s Café Sabarsky;
“Fire & Fire,” a cross-cultural performance juxtaposing Gypsy and African-American musical traditions, two rich cultures that have influenced music genres the world over;
An underground music festival of revolutionary bands active in Eastern Europe in the 80s and their contemporary counterparts, in coordination with the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts;
A 92nd Street Y miniseries on Hungarian culture, anchored by two concerts by Hungarian composers and featuring lectures on Hungarian science and literature;
Exhibitions of contemporary Hungarian design at Bard Graduate Center and in conjunction with New York Design Week;
A film series on avant-garde contemporary Hungarian filmmaker Bela Tarr at the Museum of Modern Art;
“How They Lived,” a photography exhibition documenting Hungarian Jewish life before World War II at the Yeshiva University Museum.
Additional program venues include The Forbes Galleries and Brooklyn’s Galapagos Art Space.
In Washington, D.C., festival events include:
A specially-commissioned performance by György Kurtág of a new work inspired by Bartók’s music, presented at the Library of Congress;
The exhibition of three treasures on loan from the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest—an El Greco painting, a Bronzino painting, and da Vinci bronze, at the National Gallery of Art;
An exhibition at American University juxtaposing works by Lajos Vada, the most distinctive artist of the Hungarian avant-garde, with those of contemporary Hungarian artists;
A concert by European folk sensation Bea Palya at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
A full listing of confirmed programs for both New York and Washington, D.C., is attached.
Hungarians in America
For as long as Europeans have settled the New World, Hungarians have been an integral part of America—during the American Revolution, Hungarian-American Michael de Kovats founded the nation’s cavalry. Since then, Hungarians have maintained a constant state of immigration to the United States, with surges following the Hungarian revolutions of 1848 and 1956. America is a country collaged of settlers and immigrants, and Hungarians are embedded into our nation’s firmament.
In the 1930s, many talented Hungarian intellectuals immigrated to the United States—among them numerous internationally known scientists, artists, and filmmakers who would forever impact America. Forced into exile by the rising tide of fascism, they would alter the way we fight and prevent wars, help shape modern art, design, photography and cinema, and transform the way we communicate and view the world.
The thread of creative achievements by Hungarians and Hungarian-Americans has infused the fabric of American culture with contributions that helped to establish modern art movements. Bauhaus leaders Marcel Breuer and László Moholy-Nagy linked form and function with their highly influential International style; Breuer went on to design the Whitney Museum of American Art. Franz Liszt and Béla Bartók are considered among the greatest composers of the last two centuries, with legacies that extend to modern and contemporary compositions. Hungarians and Hungarian-Americans also made their mark in Hollywood: from entertainers Harry Houdini and Béla Lugosi, to business tycoons William Fox and Adolph Zukor, the founders of 20th Century Fox and Paramount Studios, respectively. Émigré Michael Curtiz directed Casablanca, one of the most influential films of all time, itself an anti-fascist treatise. The legacy of Hungarian-American entertainers continues today with Jerry Seinfeld, Drew Barrymore, Kate Hudson and Adrien Brody, among others.
Over a dozen Nobel Prize winners emerged from the mid-century generation of Hungarian talent, including innovators who helped usher in both the nuclear age and the age of the computer. Physicist Leó Szilárd discovered nuclear chain reactions, the foundation for the atomic bomb—and the discovery that fueled the Manhattan Project. In 1951, the Hungarian physicist Edward Teller, who had worked alongside Szilárd on the Manhattan Project, built on that work to conceive the hydrogen bomb. Meanwhile, Hungarian-born computer scientist John Kemeny invented BASIC computer language, which made computers usable for the masses. A few decades later, fellow émigré Andrew Grove pioneered the Intel microprocessor.
New York remains the area with the largest concentration of Americans of Hungarian origin. First generation Hungarian-American political leaders include former New York governor George Pataki. Hungarian-American titans of industry include technology executive and space tourist Charles Simonyi and financier George Soros. These and many more form the body of exceptional individuals and contributions that are the foundation, and inspiration, of Extremely Hungary.
The Hungarian Cultural Center
Dedicated to enhancing knowledge and appreciation of Hungarian culture, the Hungarian Cultural Center (HCC) organizes and supports a wide spectrum of events that celebrate Hungary’s past, present and future. Since its founding in 2001, the HCC has linked Hungarian artists and intellectuals with American audiences through exhibitions, lectures, concerts, performances and screenings. The HCC has also partnered with major venues, including the New York Public Library and Lincoln Center, to bring its programming to larger audiences.
Extremely Hungary is made possible by funding from the Hungarian Cultural Ministry.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Stefany Anne Golberg
Hungarian Cultural Center
212-750-4450
EXTREMELY HUNGARY
Preliminary Program Schedule
Extremely Hungary is a yearlong festival showcasing the best of modern and contemporary Hungarian visual, performing, and literary arts throughout New York and Washington, D.C. Starting in January 2009, the festival reveals aspects of Hungary’s thriving contemporary culture through concerts, exhibitions, opera, new plays, literary symposia, and even such whimsical events as a Hungarian moustache contest and a re-interpretation of the traditional Austro-Hungarian opera ball.
WINTER 2009 |
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Celebrating Hungary Carnegie Hall January 24 – February 14 | For the official kickoff of Extremely Hungary, Carnegie Hall presents a two-week celebration of Hungarian music and artists—from Haydn’s courtly masterworks to composer and performer György Kurtág’s first New York appearance. |
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Zsolnay Exhibition The Forbes Galleries January 17 – March 21 | An exhibition of 150 pieces of ceramics by the artisans of Zsolnay, Hungary’s famed porcelain factory legendary for its innovative Art Nouveau masterworks. |
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Péter Forgács: Danube Exodus The Jewish Museum March 15 – August 2 | An interactive multimedia installation of found footage from two historic voyages on the Danube River: the first, the exodus of Jews escaping down the Danube in 1939, the second, a “reverse” exodus of Germans fleeing Soviets up the Danube one year later. |
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Viky Shick and Hedvid Fekete Danspace March 26 – 28 | A creative collaboration between Hungarian-born, New York-based dancer and choreographer Shick and Hungarian dancer Fekete. |
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Opera Ball on Earth Winter | The traditional Austro-Hungarian Ball turns into a modern New York party, featuring live opera performances, opera movies, DJ’s, and VJ’s. |
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SPRING 2009 |
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PEN World Voices Festival April 27 – May 3 | This five-day festival of international literature will include a focus on Hungarian literature and feature six Hungarian writers, including Péter Nádas, contributing to panel discussions. |
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Péter Forgács: Documentary on Eastern European Immigration to the United States | Based on original footage and photographs provided by the Hungarian community of New Brunswick, Forgács explores immigrants’ historically crucial role in shaping the American experience. |
Hungarian Design Exhibition Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design, & Culture May – October | Bard will showcase remarkable Hungarian design—ranging from ceramics to furniture to whimsical inventions. |
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Hungarians at New York Design Week Hungarian Cultural Center May | Premiering in conjunction with New York Design Week, this special design fair will introduce young Hungarian designers and their works. |
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“How They Lived” Photographs of Hungarian Jewish Life Before World War II (1870-1940) Yeshiva University Museum May – September | A photography exhibition documenting everyday life of Hungarian Jews from the mid-19th century to the brink of World War II. |
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SUMMER 2009 |
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Hungarian Theater Productions at the Lincoln Center Festival Lincoln Center June – August | Hungarian voices will join Lincoln Center’s annual festival, in the presentation of several new Hungarian plays. |
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Félix Lajkó Concert July | This charismatic if unconventional violinist fuses folk, jazz, Gypsy and Jewish klezmer sounds to create a unique performance. |
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FALL 2009 |
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Hungarian Culinary Weeks French Culinary Institute End of August – early September | For two weeks, New York’s most renowned culinary institute will cook up Hungarian feasts by chefs from the home country. |
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Hungarian Women Social Photographers of the 1920s and 1930s International Center of Photography September | This exhibition presents rarely seen works by female photographers who became important social commentators between the two world wars. |
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Music, Literature, Dance and Science Miniseries 92nd Street Y Tisch Center for the Arts October – November | Anchored by two classical concerts by great Hungarian composers and a symposium on political changes in Eastern Europe, this series will feature representative samples of Hungarian achievements in photography, science, and drama. |
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Underground Music Festival In Collaboration with the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Joe’s Pub, La MaMa Experimental Theatre, Le Poisson Rouge November 7 – 9 | In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall, a weekend of revolutionary music bands that were active in Eastern Europe in the 80s, presented alongside their contemporary and American counterparts. |
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Contemporary Hungarian Video Artists Janos Gat Gallery Fall | For one week, this trendy Lower East Side gallery, which focuses on Eastern and Western European art, will present the newest voices in Hungarian video art. |
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Light and Form: Modern Architecture and Photography, 1927-1950 Fall | This exhibition focuses on 150 stunning examples of modernist architecture in Hungary—the photographs of which have become art objects in their own right. |
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The Golden Age of Hollywood Through the Hungarian Lens Fall | This film series will focus on the impact of Hungarian directors and producers on early 20th-century film—from Michael Curtiz, the director of Casablanca, to William Fox and Adolf Zukor, respective founders of 20th Century Fox and Paramount. |
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Hungarian Cabaret Café Sabarsky at the Neue Galerie Fall | Café Sabarsky evokes the great cafés that served as centers of intellectual and cultural life in fin-de-siécle Central Europe—the perfect setting for performances by Hungarian jazz singer Marianna Falusi. |
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Bela Tarr Film Series Museum of Modern Art Fall | A comprehensive retrospective of Bela Tarr, a brilliant and uncompromising master of contemporary cinema, best known for his 7 hour epic Sátántangó. |
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Fire & Fire: Hungarian Gypsy and Black American Music Revue Fall | A juxtaposition of the music from two rich cultures, both of which have influenced music genres the world over. This unique production will include fashion, dance, and video. |
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Century Salon & Cabaret Galapagos Art Space Fall | A series of fin-de-siécle salons with 21st-century spirit, where the public can sip wine, learn Hungarian card games, and exchange ideas, followed by an edgy and humorous cabaret of New York and Hungarian artists, writers, and musicians. |
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WASHINGTON, D.C. EVENTS – 2009 |
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Lajos Vajda and Contemporary Hungarian Artists American University, Katzen Arts Center January 24 – March 22 | A combined exhibition of Lajos Vajda (1908-1941), considered the most distinctive artist of the Hungarian avant-garde movement, and a show of contemporary Hungarian artists, accompanied by a symposium and film screenings. |
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György Kurtág Library of Congress February 7 | For the official launch of the D.C. arm of the festival, acclaimed Hungarian composer György Kurtág will write and perform a piece based on Bartók’s music. |
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Bea Palya at Millennium Stage John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts February 8 | Hungarian village girl turned European starlet Bea Palya will perform a free concert of world music. |
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Hungarian Women Social Photographers of the 1920s and 1930s National Museum of Women in the Arts March 20 – July 5 | This exhibition presents a view of rarely seen works by female social photographers working between the two world wars. |
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Three Masterpieces from the National Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest National Gallery of Art April | For this special exhibition the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, will lend some of the finest works from its collections: an El Greco painting, a Bronzino painting, and a da Vinci bronze. |
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Contemporary Hungarian Film Series National Gallery of Art September / October (weekends) | A series of about 10 films made in the past 2-3 years by young Hungarian filmmakers, and a special feature on award-winning filmmaker Gábor Bódy who became famous in the 70s-80s with controversial methods of filmmaking. |
Please note that the program is subject to change.
Extremely Hungary is organized by the Hungarian Cultural Center in New York. Funding for the festival is provided by the Hungarian Ministry of Culture.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Stefany Anne Golberg
Hungarian Cultural Center
212-750-4450
