On Thursday, the National Heritage Institute (NÖRI) and art collector and patron Imre Pákh entered into a cooperation agreement on the renovation of Mihály Munkácsy's tomb and its surroundings, located in the Fiumei Road Cemetery's National Monument, classified as a national cemetery and protected as a monument, MTI reports. The news reveals that the costs of the reconstruction will be paid in full by the art collector.

At Thursday's press conference in Budapest, Gábor Móczár, the Director General of NÖRI, reminded us that in the decades following the Compromise, the aristocratic and middle-class stratum was formed, which was able to make sacrifices for the creation of grave monuments of outstanding artistic value. Nowadays, we also need those patrons who treat the historical heritage with great care and a giving spirit - emphasised the Director General, who added that Imre Pákh's invitation is also an opportunity for other businessmen with a serious economic background to deal with the Hungarian national heritage in the future and donate to the renovation of the grave monuments.

After the renovation, the tomb and its surroundings will be inaugurated on 9 May 2023, on the occasion of the 123rd anniversary of the painter's death. Next year, according to the plans, the grave monument of János Arany will also be renewed - the Director General stressed.

Art collector and patron Imre Pákh said that after the renovation of Mihály Munkácsy's grave, every year in the future he will undertake the financing of the renovation of one grave, located in the Fiumei Road Cemetery, which can be considered a national museum of Hungarian history.

The tomb of Mihály Munkácsy. A work by Ede Telcs from 1911 (Photo: Balázs Both/pestbuda.hu)

Mihály Munkácsy (1844–1900) Hungarian painter, and internationally recognised master of 19th-century Hungarian painting. The romantic realist painter was closely associated with the realist representation represented by Gustave Courbet. Understanding and experiencing pain is one of the most valuable elements of Munkácsy's realist art. His painting flourished in Paris, where he became world famous. He started on the road to success with his picture "The Convict (The Condemned Cell)", which won him the big gold medal of the Paris Salon.

The painter died in a sanatorium near Bonn, from where he was transported home by train, and then was lying at rest in the Kunsthalle. Thousands of people attended his large-scale funeral, and the inauguration of his tomb 11 years later. Miklós Ligeti and Ödön Lechner were entrusted with the preparation of the tombstone, but they withdrew in favour of Ede Telcs. The work of Ede Telcs depicts a Hungarian genius who lays a wreath on the grave cross of the master. The work of the sculptor stands out among the grave monuments of the artist's plot with its monumental and block-like formulation and special location.

Source: MTI

Cover photo: Mihály Munkácsy's tomb in the Fiumei Road Cemetery (Photo: MTI/Zoltán Máthé)