Happy Birthday Robert Capa!

EXHIBITION AND CENTER

Robert Capa would be a hundred years old in 2013. His birthday will be special: besides several temporary exhibitions a blog and a contemporary photography center will be dedicated to him.

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Robert Capa in Gerda Taro’s photo
 Source: Wikipedia Robert Capa (Budapest, October 22, 1913.. – Indochina, Thai Binh, May 25, 1954) was one of the few photographers who became legends while still active. Capa, son of tailor family in Budapest, left his home in the 1930’s and moved to Berlin, later Paris to become a photo reporter and probably the most popular war correspondent of the time. He began shooting in Spain, then in China during the Japanese occupation, from 1939 he visited the fronts of the World War. After 1945 he worked in Israel and in Indochina. His photos were well-known all over the world, and became part of the universal knowledge mankind gathered about the wars of the 20th century.

10 years after his tragic death his brother Cornell established a foundation to preserve his heritage, which, along the material of several other photographers became the basis of the International Center of Photography. In 2008 the Hungarian National Museum purchased 985 photos from the Center and opened an exhibition early next year.

Two New Exhibitions

During the last 4 years 16 shows were arranged home and abroad based on these Capa photos – says curator Éva Fisli of the National Museum.

In these exhibitions the public was introdusedto Capa’s life and oeuvre. The 100th birthday made the curators ask new kind of questions. The exhibition titled Robert Capa / The Player wants to find the answer to the question: what was Capa. The answer appears to be rather diverse: an emigrant who could never settle down, war correspondent and photo reporter, a real charmeur who was adored by women, and a man, who had a real passion for playing games

Exhibition at the Ludwig
 Photo: Ludwig Múzeum – Contemporary Art Museum

His oeuvre proves that a person can play even in the most extreme circumstances.
The photos preserved at the National Museum will not only be presented in Budapest but in Rome and Florence as well. Italy celebrates the 70th anniversary of the disembarkation of the Allies in 1943 and naturally it was Capa who was there to perpetuate the great event. The exhibition Robert Capa in Italia (curator: Lengyel Beatrix) will make the picture more detailed. Another surprise is that the visitor can meet Robert Capa not only in exhibition halls but on the internet as well. The blog „Capa 100. – Capa, as you have never seen.” is written by the curators, who give a detailed account of the different phases of the creating of the two exhibitions.

Robert Capa Contemporary Photographic Center

The building of the Ernst Museum in need of 
renovation

The biggest surprise of the anniversary is doubtless the establishing of the Robert Capa Contemporary Photographic Center. The Ernst Museum will not be run by the Műcsarnok in the future but the up-keeper will stick to the intention of the founder Lajos Ernst: the museum will still be one of the most important locations of contemporary art. According to János Halász, state secretary of the Ministry of Human Resources, this will be the place of the Photographic Center and the government will financially support the establishing and operating of the center in the first two years. Mr. Halász emphasized the fact that Hungarian Photography has always been part of the world elite, though so far it has not been apparent in our cultural offer. The former situation will significantly change by the establishing of the Photographic museum in the Museum Quarter and by the Robert Capa Center.

The task of management was given to Orsolya Kőrösi, director of the House of Hungarian Photographers, who will unite and harmonize the work of the two institutions. According to Ms Kőrösi, the 4 most important ideas that will signify the Capa Center are: contemporary, quality, meeting point and service Accordingly, the Robert Capa Center will serve as an exhibition space, a cultural center, and a social center for professionals.