The Embassy of Hungary in Vienna along with the Permanent Mission of Hungary to the UN and OSCE jointly organized an event at the Vienna Künstlerhaus where the diplomatic staff enjoyed a guided tour of Mihály Munkácsy's work followed by a reception.
In 1882, 50,000 enthusiastic visitors came to view the monumental painting “Christ before Pilate” by the Hungarian painter Mihály Munkácsy (1844–1900) in only 45 days at the Künstlerhaus. Even today, this artist’s works hold a certain fascination, bearing testimony to an opulent epoch marked by dramatic forms of expression. His major work, the ceiling fresco “Apotheosis of the Renaissance”, can be viewed in the main staircase of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
Munkácsy’s oeuvre, including portraits, still lifes, landscapes, boudoir, genre and historical paintings, is being comprehensively presented for the first time in Vienna. Born by the name of Michael Lieb in Munkács (Ukraine, formerly Hungary), he was one of the most successful painters of his time along with Hans Makart and Jan Matejko; the Parisian art dealer Charles Sedelmeyer sold his paintings, attracting buyers from as far as the United States. The Künstlerhaus is displaying the trilogy of religious monumental paintings “Christ before Pilate”, “Golgatha” and “Ecce Homo” and other works in Austria for the first time.
