The 1905 Arad Applied Arts Exhibition

In 1905, there was a highly diverse exhibition of applied arts in Arad. In the first hall were old items of applied art preserved by Arad families and old pieces of embroidery held by the Museum of Applied Arts. The second hall had a display of original designs and products of cottage industries. Drawings by Körösfői-Kriesch, Undi, Vaszary, Háry, Maróti, Apáti Abt, Hazay, Sándor Nagy, Lakatos, Rozsnyay, Barta, Csányi and Ács conveyed how an artistic idea is developed before being executed. The renowned Arad Wood and Metal Trades School was represented with its own collection. The fourth and final room, the grand hall of the Arad Board of Industry, was reserved for modern applied art. There were rooms arranged along two sides and craft products in glass cases in the centre. The installation was designed by Gyula Jankó. The furniture was all made in Arad. The rooms on display were: a dining room and bedroom by Lőrinc Lengyel, to designs by Ödön Faragó; and a study by Kálmán Reinhart to designs by Fülöp Reinhart, which won the state medal. The cabinets contained items that had travelled far: bronze work, velvet by Mirkovszkyné and Mariska Undi, wares by Horti, Gróh and Ács, Zsolnay ceramics, etched glassware by Sovánka, jewellery by Horti, Hibján and Tarján, and leatherwork by Sándor Nagy/Leo Belmonte, Ödön Faragó/Viktor Tull, Jenő Fischof, Gondos and Schedel. Crowning all of this were items manufactured for His Majesty’s Palace of Buda, ornamental signs, goblets, statues and artworks purchased by the Museum of Applied Arts at the 1900 Paris World’s Fair. The exhibition thus displayed a rare and lavish combination of antiques, traditional crafts, design art, student work and modern designs.

Czakó E. 'Iparművészeti kiállítás Aradon' in: Magyar Iparművészet 1905/4. szám IV. melléklet, 209-221.

by Jessica Fehérvári