Soros Raises Money for Hungarian Art Programme Through Auction

English

Archív / 2008. április 17.

The auction of the paintings, organised by the Judit Virág Gallery, was held at the Budapest Congress Centre on Friday evening. Starting prices for the works, which included a number of paintings by Eastern European avant-garde artists with links to Paris, ranged from HUF 40,000 to HUF 2.4 million. The highest hammer price was HUF 6 million, for a portrait of a woman by Béla Kádár. Another artist whose works drew big interest and big bids at the auction was Hugó Scheiber. His painting Circus (1930) fetched HUF 2.8 million.

Proceeds from the auction will go to Soros's Hungarian Art Programme. Soros will reveal more details during a visit to Hungary next week.

Soros acquired the paintings in 1997 and has already donated 19 to public collections, including the Saint Stephen Museum in Székesfehérvár, the Janus Pannonius Museum's Gallery in Pécs and the Kiscelli Museum in Budapest.

Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI) / Photo: Péter Kollányi (MTI)