László Beke, Influential Hungarian Curator and Art Historian, Remembered by Peers
On January 31, 2022, László Beke, a prominent Hungarian curator and art historian, passed away. Beginning in the late 1960s, he played a pivotal role in fostering art networks across Eastern Europe. Beke served as a research fellow at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences from 1969 to 1986 and was instrumental in organizing notable projects such as Imagination (1971) and Tombstones and Paving Stones (1972). His contributions extended to significant events like the Paris Biennial (1973-77), the 1979 Sydney Biennale, and Global Conceptualism (1999-2000). He held teaching positions at the University of Lyon 2 (1988-89) and the Hungarian University of Fine Arts (1990-2022), and he was the curator of the Hungarian National Gallery (1988-95) and director of Műcsarnok/Kunsthalle (1995-2000), where he documented and supported Eastern European art history.
Key facts
- László Beke died on January 31, 2022.
- He was a Hungarian curator and art historian known for catalyzing art networks in Eastern Europe.
- Beke worked at the Research Institute for Art History of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences from 1969 to 1986.
- He organized the Imagination project in 1971, involving twenty-eight Hungarian artists.
- Beke co-curated Global Conceptualism: Points of Origin, 1950s–1980s at the Queens Museum in 1999.
- He served as director of Műcsarnok/Kunsthalle in Budapest from 1995 to 2000.
- Beke was a professor at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts from 1990 to 2022.
- He contributed to exhibitions like Europa, Europa in Bonn (1994) and the Paris Biennial of Young Artists (1973-77).
Entities
Artists
- László Beke
- Dóra Maurer
- Imre Bak
- András Baranyai
- Miklós Erdély
- György Jovánovics
- Ilona Keserü
- László Lakner
- János Major
- Ludmil Siskov
- Tamás Szentjóby
- Endre Tót
- Péter Sinkovits
- Tibor Gáyor
- Mari Koncz
- János Megyik
- Vladimir Popovič
- J. H. Kocman
- Valoch
- Pospíšilová
- Stano Filko
- Rudolf Sikora
- Peter Bartoš
- Petr Štembera
- Filková
- Sikorová
- Péter Legendy
- László Méhes
- Gyula Pauer
- Béla Hap
- Péter Halász
- Péter Türk
- György Galántai
- Ágnes Háy
- Jozef Jankovič
- Juraj Meliš
- Miloš Laky
- Ján Zavarský
- Ioan Bunuș
- Lajos Somlósi
- Cardinal Lustiger
- Irina Subotić
- Călin Dan
- Mihai Drișcu
- Hugo Ball
- Ana Lupaș
- Paul Neagu
- Sorin Dimitrescu
- Luchezar Boyadjiev
- Anda Rottenberg
- Mária Chilf
- Gábor Szörtsey
- Ágoston Vilmos
- Jean-Baptiste Joly
Institutions
- ARTMargins Online
- Research Institute for Art History of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
- Chapel Studio
- Club of Young Artists
- Society for Popular Education
- Paris Biennial of Young Artists
- Sydney Biennale
- Europa, Europa—Das Jahrhundert der Avantgarde
- Global Conceptualism
- University of Lyon 2
- Hungarian University of Fine Arts
- Hungarian National Gallery
- Műcsarnok/Kunsthalle
- Queens Museum
- Folkwang Museum Essen
- Slovak National Gallery
- Arta magazine
- Anastasia Foundation
- Europe Unknown
- Pałac Sztuki TPSP
- AICA
- Budapest College of Fine Arts
- Kerepes cemetery
- Artpool Art Research Center
Locations
- Budapest
- Hungary
- György Galántai’s Chapel Studio
- Balatonboglár
- Lake Balaton
- Paris
- France
- Bonn
- Germany
- New York
- Minneapolis
- Miami
- Vienna
- Austria
- Essen-Werden
- Bratislava
- Slovakia
- Czechoslovakia
- Târgu Mureș
- Romania
- Meaux
- Belgrade
- Serbia
- Zagreb
- Croatia
- Bucharest
- Kraków
- Poland
- Sofia
- Bulgaria
- Cluj-Napoca
- Stuttgart
- Switzerland
- Budapest Castle
- Viziváros
- Place Saint Michel
- Notre Dame