Stages and Spaces

Modern Houses in Hungary 1928–1945

Temporary exhibition of the Hungarian Museum of Architecture and Monument Protection Documentation Center
“The new home is being developed. For the time being, practicality is battling with aesthetics.”
(Képes Vasárnap [Sunday Illustrated], 1931/4.)

Sunlight, fresh air, openness – just a few of the catchwords of the Modern architecture that was being developed between the two world wars. The exhibition presents Modern residential architecture of the period with the aid of these catchwords, taking the original functions of the villa’s spaces as a basis.

The spaces of the first floor present the topics related to openness. The majority of Rózsi Walter’s life took place in front of the public, to which the title of the exhibition also alludes. The villa was both a stage for entertainment and a cozy living space. Visitors can get to know the life of the former celebrity Rózsi Walter and her family. The progressive principles related to raising children at this time appear in relation to the Modern architecture of the child’s room. The study reflects the topic of work, and the key phrase of the former bedroom is comfort. The former bathroom presents the Modernist designers’ theories related to hygiene and health.

The nearly two hundred items displayed in the exhibition have been selected primarily from the abundant collections of the HMA MPDC Museum Department, materials that are nearly unknown to the general public. The displays are supplemented by contemporary objects on loan from private collections and the Museum of Applied Arts.

Chief curator: Pál Ritoók

Curators: Fanni Izabella Magyaróvári, Ágnes Anna Sebestyén