Budapest museum hosts lectures on contemporary art

A painting of a can of soup: boring or revolutionary? Graffiti: public defacement or guerrilla art? The cultural currency of contemporary art is a hot topic, stretching from international relations to education and everything in between. Now in Budapest it is possible to step into the immediacy of this field and banter stereotypes, techniques, and relevancy with foremost art authorities during the spring series of English-language public lectures at the Ludwig Museum (LUMÚ).

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(Top) American Roy Lichtenstein's work and (bottom) Hungarian László Fehér's work; both are two of the many contemporary works the Ludwig Museum's English-language lecture series will address.

Conversations on Contemporary Art is a 10-session lecture series that attempts to define, conceptualize, and enjoy contemporary art. The series runs on Wednesdays beginning March 5 from 10am-12pm, and is a part of the LUMÚ docent program which began at the end of February. Classes cost Ft 1,500 per session and focus on specific thematic highlights of the museum's oeuvre, which include a large Picasso collection, works by Andy Warhol, Yoko Ono, and László Feher.

Though contemporary art has become more mainstream than in the past, and increasingly popular, the field is no less slippery, says Linda Kondor, the docent program manager, she organizes the courses which are run by the Friends of the Ludwig Museum in conjunction with LUMÚ.

Generally classified as works after 1945, contemporary art is art of the present, Kondor says. It dovetails with critical theory, postmodernism, and cultural studies as it moves away from the grand narratives of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

However art that pushes the envelope, so to speak, can be upsetting, or even scary, she agrees, especially when it's expressed using unusual transgressive mediums such as film, performance art or materials.

"I think the hallmark characteristic of contemporary art is that it reaches out and grabs you! Hello! Wow! Sometimes some people find this upsetting. It hasn't had time to shift through curators and critics over the years," Kondor says.

Conversations on Contemporary Art will discuss what typifies contemporary art (or what doesn't), identify the major players and themes, and see how and where Hungarian art intersects.

Kondor is quick to explain that the courses are designed for amateurs of all ages.

"Senior citizens ask 'what would be here for me?' I can site many examples. You see, contemporary art is focused around contemporary issues," she says. "These courses are geared for people who are not going to understand art jargon; it's for everyone who is interested."

The March series focuses on Pablo Picasso (March 5), Jackson Pollock and Wilhelm de Kooning (March 12) and Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein (March 19), and allude to the works of late graffiti artist Keith Harring, whose work will be featured at LUMÚ in September while a lecture on his work will be on April 9.

Among the courses in April and May are Yoko Ono, and Hungarian "living classics" Károly Kelemen, László Fehér, and István Nádler.

"Completing the courses is an extraordinary experience. By the end you will have a firm grasp of the art of our time," Kondor says. "They are so intimate, we smell the art."

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