Gateways in Existence presents works by the contemporary artist Alexandre Hollan, who was born in Hungary (Budapest) in 1933 and now lives in France, in the company of tree and landscape depictions by some of the most important masters in the history of European drawing and printmaking.
The selection of more than fifty outstanding works not only illustrates some of the highlights of European landscape art, but also offers an overview of the various techniques of graphic art: pen and ink drawing, colored woodcut, copperplate engraving, etching, cliché process and acrylic painting. This is made possible by the rich holdings of the Museum of Fine Arts' graphic art collection in Budapest, including the important group of artworks that Alexandre Hollan himself donated to the museum between 2003 and 2019. The Hungarian-born artist, a sensitive observer of the inner forces of trees, has donated more than 150 of his works to the museum since 2003, of which an important selection of twenty-four works can be seen in this exhibition.
Alexandre Hollan left Hungary in 1956 and the young artist was admitted to the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris to complete his studies. During the cold season, his studio ties him to Paris, while he spends the summers in Gignac in the south of France, where he seeks out his favorite trees in nature and, by observing their finest vibrations, makes meditative drawings with the delicate touch of charcoal or brush.
until April 1, 2024
