In the old days, when crafts were performed at an artistic quality and when arts counted as craft, such a situation was nothing unheard of. According to unwritten rules of the social classes or in line with the regulations of guilds, crafts were hereditary: up until the middle of the 19th century it was common practice for the oldest son to carry on with the father’s business.

Partly thanks, on the one hand, to the extensive professional experiences handed down from generation to generation and, on the other hand, to their genetic inheritance, throughout the centuries such families could meet all the rigorous expectations exhibited by the different ages all through numerous generations. This required rigid rules also within the family: only a consistent, intelligent and strict way of education and upbringing could instruct the children to become worthy members of the next generation. Thus the family has become a group where social values are preserved, and this elevated the institution of the family to the level where it started to securely function as a solid building block of the community.

From the seven generations, five of the twelve artists exhibiting their works are painters, but there are members of the Lelkes Family who chose to specialise in photography or in industrial design and have become renowned in those fields. Family members showcasing their works also include an interior designer, a sculptor, a layout designer and a book designer. Earlier specialisations of the family members displaying their works also include the goldsmith trade, textile arts and decorative painting.

For a relatively long period, the lives of two generations of artists were linked to Budapest’s Csepel area, and this also surfaces in several forms in the artworks they have produced.

The Exhibition also makes tribute to this area, which provided several family members with homes and experiences in the scope of starting off their artistic careers.

István Lelkes

This exhibition is open between 29th November 2018 and 27th January 2019.