DLA009-0028 Translation

[Budapest]

Kerepesi út 54.

My dear Friend,

The directorate of the Düsseldorf Exhibition has entrusted to me the arrangements for the Hungarian hall. Relying on your friendship I hope that you will participate in this.^[1]

The hall provides 38 metres of space – so it is not very much, but we can arrange a selective exhibition.

Whatever fine works have been produced by our friends, they will be there.

I was thinking of your Alice Barbi^[2] and another picture – I leave the choice entirely up to you. Also whether you want to send the pictures here first, or straight to Düsseldorf, The pictures are due to arrive there on the 15th April. Márk^[3] is arranging the room, the installation of which we are doing according to the plans of Lechner^[4] (unfortunately with too little money, as the Minister [illegible]. Nevertheless it will look very fine and distinguished.

We are living here very quietly. I have just completed the biography of Paál. I have translated it into French.^[5] It is possible that it will be published in Paris this summer (Lippich likes it very much). The Hungarian version is being published by his firm - this is already settled.

I send you greetings dear Friend, in my own and Márk’s and [Mannheimer’s?] name.

Yours sincerely,

Béla Lázár

Editorial Note:

The book mentioned in the letter (see fn 5) was published in 1903, which appears to date the letter to 1902 or early 1903. See also fn 1.

Pd’O

01/04/2009

[1] It is unclear whether Lázár is referring to the Düsseldorf exhibition of 1903 or 1904. The possible dating of this letter may suggest 1903. The inclusion of de László’s portrait of Cardinal Rampolla [4511] at the 1903 exhibition remains to be confirmed, see [4511]. In 1904, de László exhibited portraits of General Artúr Görgei [5367] and Pope Leo XIII [4509]. See DLA162-0063, a cutting from the Pesti Hirlap newspaper, outlining that Lázár selected the works for the Hungarian room in 1904.

[2] Alice Barbi, married names Baroness Boris von Wolff-Stomersee and Marchesa della Torretta (1862-1948). It is unclear which portrait of Alice Lázár is referring to. For biographical details on Alice Barbi, see [8835]

[3] Lajos Márk (1867–1942), Hungarian painter and graphic artist, later worked in the U.S.A.

[4] Ödön Lechner (1845–1914), Hungarian architect

[5] Béla Lázár, Paál László, Budapest, Lampel Róbert (Wodianer F. és Fiai), 1903. The French translation was published in 1904 as Ladislas de Paál: un peintre hongrois de l’école de Barbizon, Paris, Librairie de l'art ancien et moderne.