Gyula Kaesz (1897-1967), in addition to his activities as an interior designer and furniture designer, was a central figure of 20th century applied arts as a publicist and lecturer at the College of Applied Arts, and the most outstanding interior and industrial designers of later decades studied under him. His wife, Kato Lukáts (1900-1990), is considered one of the leading figures in the field of applied graphics. He was responsible for outstanding advertising graphics in the 1930s (e.g. the packaging of Stühmer products), while his post-war work includes illustrations for storybooks and textbooks (Ablak-Zsiráf, Mesebolt, Zengő ABC).

 

The exhibition presents the spaces and objects of the artist couple's more than four decades of life together in one place, through the furnishings of their last home together, their Petőfi Square apartment, which was acquired by the MÉM MDK collection in the spring of 2023. The exhibition's furnished spaces trace the evolution of domestic furniture design from the art deco of the 1920s to the moderate modernism of the 1930s and 1940s. The exhibition evokes the colourful world in which the artist couple once entertained their guests, a world that black-and-white photographs of the period have failed to capture for posterity.

 

The work of these two fantastic artists will be showcased in the exhibition with artworks from other institutions. Furniture, decorative objects and small prints from the Museum of Applied Arts, and a special Art Deco bedroom suite designed for the couple's first apartment together, from the collection of the Hungarian National Museum. The Hungarian Museum of Trade and Hospitalitywill also be showing a glimpse into the couple's life, with images from the Museum of Hungarian Trade and Hospitalitythat have not been seen elsewhere. The Kaesz furniture and the plans for their holiday home in Szentendre, from the Archives of the Institute of Art History of the HUN-REN Research Centre for the Humanities, give a vivid impression of the creative work and the atmosphere of the couple's home.

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The exhibition is organised in collaboration with the Museum of Applied Arts.