Our commemorative exhibition honors the extensive body of work created by the sculptor Pál Kő, who was active from the late twentieth century into the early 2000s. The presentation provides a fresh perspective by highlighting significant moments in his career through his small-scale sculptures.
The exhibition is arranged across three galleries. In the first hall, we showcase the earliest small sculptures that quickly established Pál Kő’s reputation after he graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts. These pieces were primarily carved from wood and stone, with some occasionally cast in bronze. The wooden sculptures were often painted, as seen in works like Vision, Gyűrűfű, and The Great Blue Bird. Additionally, some pieces incorporated Pop Art-inspired elements and everyday objects, such as Little Girl with Gold Earrings and Kossuth.
The second hall features the sculptures of a mature artist, accompanied by photographic documentation of his public works. Among these pieces, portraiture emerges as the most prominent sculptural type. Many of the small bronzes serve as preparatory studies for later public commissions. Beginning in the 1980s, Kő created bronze models that acted as sketches for sculptures of notable Hungarian figures, including poets such as Kölcsey, István Sinka, László Nagy, and Margit Szécsi, as well as writers and composers like Bartók and Kodály, artists like Aba-Novák, Csontváry, Marcell Jankovics, and Géza Samu; and historical kings such as Béla III, Charles Robert, and Samuel Aba.
His public sculptures depicting kings and figures of Hungarian history and civic life are typically smaller than life-size. This small scale makes the role of the pedestal particularly significant, as it either elevates these mid-scale figures or brings them down to the viewer’s level. This slightly below life-size scale renders the sculptures more approachable and accessible in both physical and interpretive terms. The hall also includes works created during the final years of Kő’s life, which, in spirit, return to the characteristics of his early creative period.
The third and final hall presents elements of the sculptural installation that Pál Kő created for the Mohács Historical Memorial Site. It features the figures of King Louis II, Sultan Suleiman, and Pál Tomori, along with the large Crossbow and the Turkish Horse. Additionally, the installation is complemented by smaller sculptures that relate to the forms and concepts of the Mohács ensemble, such as The Táltos and Aeolian Harp.
The exhibition aims to present a cohesive image of Pál Kő, highlighting the individual components of his sculptural oeuvre while considering the artist’s own intentions.
curator: Mária Kondor-Szilágyi