FROM LEGACY
TO HERITAGE

“Zoltán Bohus and Mária Lugossy consciously built and shaped the Bohus-Lugossy Collection from the beginning of their careers. They kept the most beautiful works of each of their artistic periods, the most characteristic of the given era, in the family’s possession. As a result, around 50 sculptures have remained as a legacy for the family and the nation, a collection that is internationally significant and a Seuso treasure of contemporary glass art for Hungary. This collection is worth considering as the core collection of a newly established Contemporary Hungarian Glass Museum.”

“It is a peculiar situation that while Hungarian artists of autonomous - fine art - glass art are sought after by the most prestigious international galleries, museum curators and private collectors, in our country, the genre is barely known, and even less so by our world-famous artists. Over the past 50 years, representatives of the profession have quietly and humbly conquered the world and are attracting an increasing number of art collectors and museum curators to Hungary for the purpose of buying their collections. They always organize their one-day, ad-hoc exhibitions on such occasions, where there is a receptive good will and a few square meters of exhibition space. In 2019, more than 40 works of art were sold under such circumstances - all over the world. The shape of the building of the Térspirál - European Museum of Contemporary Glass Art Zoltán Bohus Térspirál II. (1979), a gesture that represents the Hungarian cultural identity of an internationally significant genre creation with a “landmark” architectural character.”

“Zoltán Bohus and Mária Lugossy were the “sculptors of light”. They searched for light all their lives, examined the refraction of light in glass...Zoltán Bohus and Mária Lugossy lived an exemplary life. All the values ​​they left behind in their creations and their spirituality are a real national and cultural legacy, worth showing to present and future generations.”

“Without the dedicated, decades-long teaching and mentoring activities of Zoltán Bohus and Mária Lugossy, there would be no contemporary glass art and education in Hungary. Today, 50 years after its inception, contemporary Hungarian glass is one of the nation’s most successful and internationally recognized art movements in 2019, with Bohus-student artists regularly featured in private and public collections around the world.”

“The management of the legacy of Zoltán Bohus and Mária Lugossy should not be the sole task and responsibility of the family. This is a much greater value than what the heirs are able to achieve on their own. This requires cooperation, as with all ambitious and future-oriented nation-building actions. I support and consider it necessary for the Bohus-Lugossy Art Gallery to become an international creative house and artist colony. I support and consider it necessary for contemporary Hungarian glass art to have its own museum.”

“Despite the world-famous status of Hungarian glass art, there is a specific shortage of workshops related to the genre. In addition to the fundamental technical difficulty of working glass, it requires a specific set of tools that cannot be found in state-maintained and supported creative houses and artist colonies. The Bohus-Lugosy Art House could therefore fill a gap and support the creators of this internationally successful art movement with great usability. Based on the experiences of MANK Hungarian Creative Arts Public Nonprofit Kft., we believe that ensuring the appropriate technical conditions is essential for keeping the genre-creating tradition of the Bohus School, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year, 2019, alive and for raising new generations of the genre. To this end, we largely agree with the efforts of the Bohus heirs to open the former parental home (the Bohus-Lugossy Art House) and serve representatives of new generations.”

“Zoltán Bohus and Mária Lugossy created Hungarian glass sculpture and immediately became at the forefront of the world. This exceptionally talented and hard-working artist couple built their oeuvre from Hungary in the early seventies with their own developed technology and their own workshop background. Today, their works can be found in the world's most important glass art museums and glass sculpture collections. They brought home the most professional awards among the artists living in Hungary. In addition to their creative work, Zoltán Bohus also taught throughout his life. After graduating, he remained at the Hungarian College of Applied Arts as an assistant teacher, then taught and led the higher education in glass art for 44 years, and became a master to the best of several generations.”

“In Hungary, there is no organized, infrastructure-based further education institution for graduated and current fine and applied artists. The Bohus-Lugossy Studio House almost offers itself as a gap-filling international glass art research center and workshop institution. The previously mentioned sculpture collection can also be temporarily placed in the building - until it is permanently exhibited in a worthy place and in a worthy manner - safely and under researchable conditions. In this way, the intellectual and tangible legacy of our two excellent deceased academic colleagues, Zoltán Bohus and Mária Lugossy, could serve Hungarian and international art and culture in multiple dimensions and in the long term. Therefore, we propose that the Hungarian State undertake financial and professional supervision in relation to the studio house of the Bohus-Lugossy couple.”

“The names of the artist couple Zoltán Bohus and Mária Lugossy are synonymous with Hungarian glass art, and their groundbreaking work is an outstanding value in Hungarian fine arts. The Moholy-Nagy University of Arts hereby expresses its hope that the Bohus-Lugossy Art House can open its doors and creative spaces to creatives with a free intellectual profession and an experimental spirit, so that it can function as an incubator house and an international workshop and symposium venue. The names of Zoltán Bohus and Mária Lugossy have become a concept in international contemporary glass art. A Bohus-Lugossy Art House that is realized can represent enormous added value in the implementation of the Moholy-Nagy University of Arts’ domestic and international programs, in numerous possible forms of cooperation.”

“We would like to believe that although the death of the Master was a huge loss for the Hungarian nation, some new and valuable, forward-looking initiative can continue the creative and educational spirit and knowledge of Zoltán Bohus and Mária Lugossy. The Silicate Industry Scientific Association is a member of the European Glass Federation (ESG) and the International Glass Federation (ICG). Our professional organization is pleased and enthusiastic to express its intention to cooperate in the professional design of the equipment of the planned glass art workshop, in consulting, in mapping innovative glass technology tools and equipment, in order to help create a gap-filling, international-standard creative and research base for contemporary Hungarian glass artists.”