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Breuer, Goldfinger and the Others

Brutalist Architecture by Hungarians

march 2026.

The new exhibition at the Walter Rózsi Villa offers a never-before-seen insight into Hungarian brutalist architecture. The exhibition presents characteristic Hungarian buildings of the controversial but fashionable late modernist movement, together with the work of two internationally renowned designers of Hungarian origin: Marcel Breuer and Ernő Goldfinger. In addition, the public will have the opportunity to view works from Marcel Breuer's estate for the first time.

The exhibition, entitled "Breuer, Goldfinger and the Others – Brutalist Architecture by Hungarians," was prepared by HMA MPDC's own research, which assessed the impact of Brutalism in Hungary and identified hundreds of examples of it. During 2024–2025, more than 120 buildings were photographed and documented, supplemented by site visits, literature and archive research, and interviews with the designers.

 

The results of this work will be on display to the public at the Walter Rózsi Villa exhibition through photographs, drawings, and models created specifically for this exhibition.

 

Accompanying the brutalist exhibition, the MÉM MDK's most valuable art acquisition, the Breuer collection acquired in 2025, will be presented independently. In addition to furniture, books, models, and photographs purchased from Marcel Breuer's former vacation home, the collection includes items from Breuer's former New York office and colleagues, deposited by art collector Mihály Szarvasy, making it unique in Central Europe in terms of its richness. Photographs taken by Breuer's son, Tamás Breuer, depict the everyday summer life of the world-famous architect's family, as well as his most important architectural works.

 

The exhibition is curated by art historians Dániel Kovács and Ágnes Anna Sebestyén, both of whom are curators at HMA MPDC. Accompanying the exhibition, HMA MPDC is publishing a book entitled Brutalist Architecture in Hungary, with text by Dániel Kovács and photographs by Gábor F. Tóth, as well as a Hungarian-English volume by Ágnes Anna Sebestyén presenting the Breuer collection. Both publications will be available for purchase at the Walter Rózsi Villa.

Curator: Éva HORÁNYI
Associate curators: Fanni Izabella MAGYARÓVÁRI, Pál RITOÓK, Ágnes Anna SEBESTYÉN
Design and graphics: Barbara KAKUK
Interior designer: Katalin BÓDINÉ KERSNER DLA
Project Management: Gábor LETENYEI

Other lending institutions:
Hungarian National Museum,
Hungarian National Museum of National History,
HUN-REN Research Centre for the Humanities, Institute of Art History, Repository

Director: Kornél Tamás dr. Almássy

Curator: Dániel Kovács

Co-curator (curator of the Breuer collection): Ágnes Anna Sebestyén

Proofreading: Pál Ritoók

Project management: Gábor Letenyei

Architectural photography: Gábor F. Tóth

Further photographs: Dániel Kovács, Ágnes Anna Sebestyén

Installation: Eszter Csehi, Dóra Dávid, Zsolt Vasáros – Narmer Építészeti Stúdió

Graphic identity: Eszter ILLÉS    

Models: Ádám PÁLVÖLGYI

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