Artúr Barta

Art Nouveau on Paper

Little is known of his life and career. His first furniture displayed a combination of Art Nouveau and historicism, appeared in the Christmas Exhibition of 1903, as described in the periodical Magyar Iparművészet the following year. His legacy – a dozen or so original plans and a collection of several hundred pattern sheets in which he collected photographs of works by contemporary Hungarian and international designers – is now held in the Museum of Applied Arts Archives. These all bear a stamp with the legend: “Artúr Barta, designer, cabinetmaker, upholsterer, master decorator; Budapest IV. Váczi-utcza 37, Merkur Palace”. His book A lakásberendezés művészete (The Art of Furnishing) was published in 1921 as a supplement of the journal Műiparos – a lakásberendezési összes műiparágainak szaklapja (Műiparos – Journal of All Branches of Furnishing Crafts). His surviving plans display mainly the plank-style influence of “folk” Art Nouveau.

Design - display cabinet and clock stand
Exhibition photograph - chair (designed by Artúr Barta) for the ladies' salon at the Christmas Exhibition of The Association of Applied Arts 1903
Furniture design - sculpture stands
Furniture design - tables
Furniture design - vitrine
Furniture design - vitrine
Furniture design - coat rack for a hall
Furniture design - chairs and cupboard
Furniture design - cabinets
Furniture design - a small and a swaddling table
Furniture design - bookcase
Furniture design - three sculpture stands
Furniture design - locker fitted with glass
Furniture design - vitrine
Furniture design - sculpture stands
Furniture design - vitrine
Photograph - small table (designed by Artúr Barta) from the furniture of women's salon at the Christmas Exhibition of the Association of Applied Arts 1903
Photograph - Artúr Barta: chair with blotter in the women's salon at the Christmas exhibition of the Association of Applied Arts, 1903