The centenary of the beginning of postwar Hungarian artist Karl Stengel gives a second to rediscover the artist’s extraordinary story, with exhibitions in Florence, London, and Mexico highlighting his legacy.
Marking 100 years since his beginning, exhibitions throughout 2025 are shining a light-weight on the life and work of Karl Stengel, a Hungarian artist whose works – starting from summary expressionist canvases to surreal drawings – have solely not too long ago gained the popularity they deserve.
The artist’s outstanding legacy and story is now being commemorated by the Stengel Assortment in Florence, whose centenary exhibition (operating till 11 April) presents greater than 45 work, works on paper and mixed-media compositions – all in opposition to the backdrop of the Renaissance-era Palazzo Rosselli del Turco.
Past Tuscany, Italy, the place Stengel spent his later years, worldwide exhibitions embrace one at London’s Oxo Tower (21-30 Could) and one other presently operating on the MACQ Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Querétaro in Mexico till 27 April.
Stengel’s story is a poignant one. His journey as an artist started below essentially the most unlikely of circumstances: whereas imprisoned in a Soviet gulag after WWII, he picked up a stone and commenced drawing one in every of his guards on a cement bag.
Vito Abba, director of the Stengel Assortment, remembers the importance of that second, describing it as “an emblem of his lifelong dedication to create artwork, irrespective of the circumstances.” Upon his launch, Stengel continued his research on the Academy of Nice Arts in Budapest, however after the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, he was compelled to flee, finally discovering refuge in Munich, the place he accomplished his creative coaching in 1961.
All through his profession, Stengel’s work was closely influenced by a variety of creative varieties, together with music, poetry, and literature. As Abba explains, “Stengel’s artwork is richly layered with creative references, which mirror his lifelong love of different artistic varieties reminiscent of music, theatre, literature and poetry.” He usually painted on books and music sheets, connecting his visible works to the sounds of composers like Béla Bartók and Beethoven, in addition to poets like Federico García Lorca. This cross-pollination of creative media was a trademark of Stengel’s work, including an additional degree of depth to his expressive fashion.
Some of the thrilling elements of the centenary exhibition in Florence is the chance to discover Stengel’s “diaries” – a group of smaller works by which the artist experimented with new concepts and strategies. These diaries, which I don white gloves to pore over, embrace intricate drawings on ebook pages and music sheets, providing a private glimpse into his artistic course of.
“They’re usually a visible report of what he was studying or listening to on the time,” says Abba. These items will not be simply visible data but in addition a mirrored image of Stengel’s broad cultural pursuits and his spontaneous responses to the world round him.
Although a major proportion are summary in really feel, lots of Stengel’s items are crammed with recurring motifs reminiscent of heads, silhouettes, and doorways – symbols that recommend themes of exile and trauma, deeply tied to his personal experiences. Abba notes that “his life and work is deeply rooted within the twentieth century,” with echoes of German Expressionism, Artwork Informel and Summary Expressionism evident in his artwork. On the similar time, his works stay common, talking to themes of human struggling, resilience, and the seek for which means in a – nonetheless – fractured world.
Regardless of the emotional depth and sheer multitude and flexibility of his works, Stengel by no means sought fame or recognition. As Abba tells Euronews Tradition, “freedom was extra vital than recognition.” His dedication to creative freedom usually led him to withstand the pressures of the artwork market, as an alternative pursuing what he believed to be true to his imaginative and prescient. This concentrate on private integrity reasonably than business success doubtless contributed to the truth that Stengel’s work didn’t acquire widespread recognition throughout his lifetime. It was solely within the years following his demise in 2017 that his artwork started to obtain worldwide consideration.
The exhibitions celebrating Stengel’s centenary, organisers hope, will carry his work to new audiences. The upcoming exhibition on the Oxo Tower in London, scheduled for Could, for example, marks the primary time his works might be proven to a British public. Abba believes that Stengel’s story – of resilience, exile, and the enduring energy of artwork – will resonate with modern audiences all over the world.
“There isn’t any doubt that most of the circumstances that affected Karl throughout his life, and the political local weather of the twentieth century, sadly have parallels in at this time’s world,” Abba explains. “I believe it has introduced a brand new form of resonance and relevance to his work.”
Despite its sobering themes, Stengel’s work stays a strong, encouraging testomony to the transformative potential of artwork.
“It is a optimistic and hopeful narrative,” says Abba. “It says one thing concerning the human impulse to create, and of the ability of artwork to make which means out of experiences.”
Discover out extra concerning the Stengel Assortment right here.
