Alexandre Hollan (The Visible Invisible)

Sándor Hollán's relationship with the Museum of Fine Arts is several decades old. Since 2001, the painter has donated works of art to our museum on several occasions. In 2017, he offered a very significant donation, including more than a hundred of his compositions, which today enriches the Collection after 1800 and the Graphic Collection, and forms a significant unit in the collection of works from 20th-century emigrant Hungarian artists. Hollán's creative method is very specific in contemporary painting: when creating his works, he renounces the display of self-reflective gestures in order to make the object itself visible. Experimenting at the limits of visibility, he connects to the sight with a strong intuition, calling out the hidden abilities of the gaze. In addition to the ancient vessels in his still lifes, his main models are trees. These living creatures, which have been growing close to humans for thousands of years and are often interpreted as cultic iconographic symbols, have become the most important elements of Hollán's painting, in his words: his masters. Getting to know his art offers a broadening of our relationship with the visible. quoting the title of a common picture, his works are impressions of the subtle but decisive experience of the movement of life. This volume is a list of works donated to the Museum of Fine Arts by Sándor Hollán between 2001 and 2017, as well as The visible and invisible. Accompanying publication of the exhibition A selection of works donated to the Museum of Fine Arts by Sándor Hollán. Museum of Fine Arts - Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest, November 4, 2021 - February 13, 2022.