Hungary SZOCIALISTA KULT?R??RT KIT?NTETO JELV?NY

[Gordon Craig]

Well, here it is Spring and a man's fancy turns to????? Culture, what else! Since I seem to be interested in obscure badges and organizations I thought that I would post this award give for support of cultural activities. I have virtually no information on just what these awards was presented for. It was instituted my the Council of Ministers by resolution number 1006/1977. It was cancelled by Order number XXX1 in 1991. The medal is octagonal and measures 30cm by 30cm. Each of the 8 sides is 12cm in length. The gold star in the centre is attached to the base by a single rivet. The writing on the medal is actual a raised part of the base with hot enamel for the coloured sections. The back is plain showing only the rivet for attaching the gold star. The ribbon is in the Hungarian national colours and attached to the medal by two rings.

Regards,

Gordon

Edited May 15, 2008 by Gordon Craig

[Gordon Craig]

A closer view of the obverse.

[Gordon Craig]

The reverse.

[Gordon Craig]

The carrying document for this award. Issued by the Ministry of Culture and awarded to dr. Feh?r Zsuzsa (read Dr. Susan White here) at Budapest on the 5th of August 1975. It gives her permission to wear the medal on her clothing.

[Ulsterman]

Hmmm-really nice!

So, is that an award handed out by the Ministry of Culture?

Who was the chap who signed the card?

Is this him?

http://www.artportal.hu/lexikon/muveszetto.../feher_zsuzsa_d

I have a mental image of Budapest city orchestra members and art Professors wearing this....

Edited May 15, 2008 by Ulsterman

[Gordon Craig]

Ulsterman,

Yes this is an award handed out by the Ministry of Culture (see post #4). Thanks for the link. It could very well be her. It didn't mention, in her bio, that she received this particular award but it does list that she is (or was) a member of MISZ and AICA plus she was awarded the Szeged V?raos Alkot?i dija in 1970; the SZOT-dij in 1971; and the Munk?csy-dij in 1984. I'll have to look up these other awards and translate her bio so I can get a better idea of exactly who she is/was. At a quick guess, I would say she is a writter.

I don't know who signed the award for the Ministry. The stamp in the lower left hand corner indicates that the carrying document was issued by the "Igazcat?ci ?s Joci Főoszt?ly" which if I understand it correctly, is the office within the Ministry of Culture that authenticates and issues these sorts of document. The initials "P. H." by the signature line would give us the title of the person who signed the document but I do not know what those two letters stand for. The official award document would have been signed by a senior official in the Ministry of Culture.

Regards,

Gordon

Edited May 15, 2008 by Gordon Craig

[Ulsterman]

For those on the forum (e.g. Rick) who do not (yet) possess a Hungarian-English dictionary, would you be so kind as to translate her awards? I've never seen that adjectival tense at the end of "work" before. Is it diminutive?

Feminine?

[Gordon Craig]

Ulsterman,

The term "Munk?csy" appears as a street name in several Hungarian towns and villages so it is probably someones name. The "Munk?csy-dij" is the "Hungarian Prize for the Fine Arts". The "Szeged V?ros Alkot?i dija" is the "Szeged (the name of the city she went to university in) City Creative Prize. As it is almost midnight now, I'll cover the rest of this stuff tomorrow.

Regards,

Gordon

[Ulsterman]

Oh- I assumed "Munka" was the root word meaning "work" or "labour"....sigh-

[Gordon Craig]

Ulsterman,

Thanks once again for the link and your questions. They have made my research into this award document much more interesting. Here is the latest info I have on the award document.

Regards,

Gordon

Art Historian Feh?r Zsusza

Born in Nagykőr?s, Hungary, 6 January 1925

Died in Budapest, Hungary, 24 October, 2001

Attended the Szeged Science university in the faculty of Liberal Arts. From 1948 to 1950- worked at the Metropolitan Art Gallery. Between 1950 and 1954 Artistic Manager of an art gallery; from 1954 to 1965 Editor-in-chief of the Foundation for Fine Arts; from 1965 to 1982 responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Contemporary Art Department at the Hungarian National (art) Gallery (Budapest); 1970 to 1982 responsible for the Fine Arts on MTV (Hungarian State Television)-also General Editor in TV programming as well as acting as a reported and commentator. Art critic and writer.

Member of MISZ - (Magyar K?pzőműv?szetek ?s Iparműv?szek Sz?vets?ge) Hungarian Fine Arts and Industrial Designers Association; AICA International Association of Art Critics (Ein?s?g?nek ?s a Kritikusok Nemzetk?zi Szovets?g?nek);

Awards: Szeged V?ros Alkot?i Szeged (City Creative Prize) 1970; SZOT dij Szakszervezetek Orszagos Tanacsa (National Council of Trade Unions) This would have been the SZOT Hungarian State Award 1971; Munk?csy-dij- Hungarian State Prize for Fine Arts

?r?sai (writings)

New Hungarian Fine Arts 3, Budapest, 1953

New Hungarian Fine Arts 4, Budapest, 1954

Mikus S?ndor, Budapest, 1955

Domanovsky Endre, Budapest, 1962

Kurucz D. Istv?n, Budapest, 1968

Hungarian Painting in the 20th Century, Budapest, 1971

Szalay Lajos ?Genesis? , Budapest, 1973

Graphic Arts in Hungary II, Budapest, 1974

V?r? M?rton, Budapest, 1986

Moln?r C. P?l, The Graphic Artist, Budapest, 1990

TV-Series: Artistic Magazine; The TV Gallery; In the Studio; Artistic Portrait.

[Ulsterman]

Very,very cool.

This is why this is such a great hobby. A small piece of tangibility- a physical artifact, can encompass an interesting aspect person's life and illuminate history. I would have LOVED to have spoken to this woman about socialist realism and art. I'll bet she had some great stories to tell: artists always do, but one who prospered under the Communist regime and lived through Horthy, the occupation and 1956 must've had a very full life indeed.

Congratulations on finding such a great piece. I envy you.

Any chance anyone at the National Gallery might still know of her? Maybe she'd be a good article?

[Gordon Craig]

Ulsterman,

Another good suggestion! I'll have to look into that. As you say, all of this interesting historical info from buying a simple piece of paper. Never figured it would generate this much fun and interest for me from one of these rather simple medals. I've found a brief write up on the criteria for awarding one of these medals and as soon as I've finished translating it I'll post it.

Regrds,

Gordon

[Gordon Craig]

Gents,

Some more information to add to this thread.

The "Munk?csy-dij- Hungarian State Prize for Fine Arts" was named for the "Realism" movement artist Mih?ly Munk?csy (1844-1900) He was born as Michael von Leib to German parents in Munk?cs, Hungary. (Now Munkachevo ,Ukraine) At some time later he Hungarianized his name to Mih?ly Munk?csy, adopting the name of the place where he was born as his surname. He first achieved wide recognition in 1868 with his painting "The Last Day of a Condemed Man". Mih?ly Munk?csy's work is represented in museums in Vienna, Philadelphia, Chicago and the Metroplitan Museum of Art in New York. Many of his paintings, especially his "Christ Before Pilate" have been widely reproduced. One of his painting at The Metropolitan Museum is of his music room in Paris where a contemporary Hungarian Fenec List, better known to English speaking people by the German version of his name, Franz List, played the piano to entertain Munk?csy's guests.

Regards,

Gordon

[hunyadi]

Very nice little find - you never know what you get when you pick up a pile of papers like that!

[Gordon Craig]

Charles,

You've got that right! I guess I can quit complaining about the 600 Forints it cost to get into the Coin and Stamp Show now.

Regards,

Gordon

[cimbineus]

... It was instituted my the Council of Ministers by resolution number 1006/1977. ...

Gents,

Let me share with you some information on this badge. In fact, this badge was only re-instituted in 1977, because its origins go back to 1953. Originally, it was instituted by the Council of Ministers' resolution number 1002/1953. (II.1.). The type I. was an enamelled five pointed star. This first type had two versions. Version 1 had a continuous inscription "A SZOCIALISTA KULT?R??RT" in the middle of the badge, while version 2 had the same phrase but divided into two parts: "A SZOCIALIST" and "KULT?R??RT". (Stands for "for the socialist culture" ? whatever it means.) This last had two sub-versions which differ by their convexities and backs.

- type I, version 1 (1.)

- type I, version 2, sub-version A (2.)

- type I, version 2, sub-version B (3.)

- type II, (4.)

So, we have four badges altogether, and Gordon kindly shared with us badge no (4.)

Here is type I, version 1, that is badge no (1.)

Regards,

cimbineus

[cimbineus]

Here is type I, version 2, sub-version A, that is badge no (2.)

Regards,

cimbineus

[cimbineus]

... and finally, type I, version 2, sub-version B, badge no (3.)

[Gordon Craig]

cimbineus,

Interesting comparison of the badges. I have two of what you term badge #3. Don't recall seeing any others with the badge #2 back. What does the back of badge #1 look like?

Here is a picture of the large award document, and its folder, for badge #4.

Regards,

Gordon

[Gordon Craig]

The front of the folder. The back is plain.

[Ulsterman]

Fantastic!!! :jumping:

More! Morre!

Where is CD?

[hunyadi]

I am around - but unfortunatly I traded my grouping with the type II badge a long time ago. It was not an award that I "had to have" I guess. The one that I had I found in the trash with all the documents on "large trash day" while on the way to taking my son to Ovoda. The individual was a man who worked with Malev (Hungarian Arilines) and apparently worked in the Romanian office, thus furthering "socialist culture".

[Gordon Craig]

Charles,

Interesting comment on the Malev chap. Would like to have owned one like that. Perhaps one day, once I get rid of a ton of stuff I probably don't need! But what don't I need!

Regards,

Gordon

[Ulsterman]

I would too- but, oh well.