ArtWay - Ervin Bossanyi: A vision for unity and harmony

Remembering Ervin Bossányi was an event held at the Liszt Institute in June 2022 dedicated to Hungarian-born artist Ervin Bossányi, best known for his stained glass windows at Canterbury Cathedral.

Art historian Monica Bohm-Duchen, founding director of Insiders/Outsiders, led a panel discussion with family members, stained glass experts and others to explore the extraordinary life and unique cultural contribution of this still too little-recognised artist. I was on the panel with: Ilona Bossányi: granddaughter of Ervin Bossányi; Alfred Fisher MBE: stained glass artist, who worked with Bossányi; and Caroline Swash: stained glass artist and author of The 100 Best Stained Glass Sites in London.

The talk that I gave has been published by ArtWay as Ervin Bossanyi: A vision for unity and harmony. The talk is about 'the context in which Bossanyi’s work and vision needs to be placed in order to be understood and appreciated as a unique contribution to the spiritual and religious art created in this period and one having synergies with the work of his peers':

 

'In Europe and the United States this was a time of a modernist preoccupation with religion and spirituality to which Bossanyi and other émigré artists made an immense contribution, despite the challenges they faced through enforced migration and the loss of work. Bossanyi contributed a vision for unity and harmony embracing all peoples and all faiths whilst being based on the fundamental interactions of human life.'

I first got to know Ilona Bossanyi as a result of a Church Times article that attracted her interest, being based on a conference held at St John's Waterloo that raised awareness of the threat to works by Hans Feibusch and other émigré artists. That article can be found at - https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2021/11-june/features/features/debt-owed-to-jewish-refugee-art. See also my Artlyst articles on Refugee Artists: Learning from The Lives Of Others and Polish Art In Britain: Centenary Marked At London’s Ben Uri Gallery.

I then interviewed Ilona for Artlyst. That interview about her grandfather can be found at: Ilona Bossanyi: Tate’s Ervin Bossanyi Stained Glass Window Mothballed After 2011 Redevelopment.

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T. Bone Burnett - River Of Love.

Remembering Ervin Bossányi

Remembering Ervin Bossányi was an event held at the Liszt Institute dedicated to Hungarian-born artist Ervin Bossányi, best known for his stained glass windows at Canterbury Cathedral.

Ervin Bossányi (1891-1975) was born in a small village in southern Hungary and educated in Budapest. He worked as a painter and sculptor mainly in northern Germany until his forced emigration in 1934. In due course, he would establish a new career as a notable stained glass artist in England. He created stained glass windows for Senate House Library, University of London, the Tate Gallery (‘The Angel Blesses the Women Washing the Clothes’), the Victoria and Albert Museum (‘Noli me tangere’), as well as for York Minster, the President Woodrow Wilson memorial chapel in Washington National Cathedral, Washington DC and Canterbury Cathedral, among others.

Art historian Monica Bohm-Duchen, founding director of Insiders/Outsiders, led a panel discussion with family members, stained glass experts and others to explore the extraordinary life and unique cultural contribution of this still too little-recognised artist.

Panel participants:

• Ilona Bossányi: granddaughter of Ervin Bossányi
• Revd Jonathan Evens: Team Rector for Wickford and Runwell, who writes regularly on visual arts and has a special interest in émigré artists who worked for the Church
• Alfred Fisher MBE: stained glass artist, who worked with Bossányi
• Caroline Swash: stained glass artist and author of The 100 Best Stained Glass Sites in London

The video of this event is above. Due to technical issues, recording ended after Alfred Fisher had spoken. In my presentation, which is as a result absent from the recording, I briefly mapped out the context within which Bossanyi’s work and vision can best be understood and appreciated, by showing the extent to which aspects of his approaches were shared with others in his day and time. My paper will be published by ArtWay shortly.

My Artlyst interview with Ilona Bossanyi about her grandfather can be found at Ilona Bossanyi: Tate’s Ervin Bossanyi Stained Glass Window Mothballed After 2011 Redevelopment.

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Zoltán Kodály - Missa Brevis.

Remembering Ervin Bossányi, Stained Glass Artist

 

Yesterday I took part in an event held at the Liszt Institute dedicated to Hungarian-born artist Ervin Bossányi, best known for his stained glass windows at Canterbury Cathedral.

Ervin Bossányi (1891-1975) was born in a small village in southern Hungary and educated in Budapest. He worked as a painter and sculptor mainly in northern Germany until his forced emigration in 1934. In due course, he would establish a new career as a notable stained glass artist in England. He created stained glass windows for Senate House Library, University of London, the Tate Gallery (‘The Angel Blesses the Women Washing the Clothes’), the Victoria and Albert Museum (‘Noli me tangere’), as well as for York Minster, the President Woodrow Wilson memorial chapel in Washington National Cathedral, Washington DC and Canterbury Cathedral, among others.

Art historian Monica Bohm-Duchen, founding director of Insiders/Outsiders, led a panel discussion with family members, stained glass experts and others to explore the extraordinary life and unique cultural contribution of this still too little-recognised artist.

Panel participants:

• Ilona Bossányi: granddaughter of Ervin Bossányi
• Revd Jonathan Evens: Team Rector for Wickford and Runwell, who writes regularly on visual arts and has a special interest in émigré artists who worked for the Church
• Alfred Fisher MBE: stained glass artist, who worked with Bossányi
• Caroline Swash: stained glass artist and author of The 100 Best Stained Glass Sites in London

In my presentation I briefly mapped out the context within which Bossanyi’s work and vision can best be understood and appreciated, by showing the extent to which aspects of his approaches were shared with others in his day and time. My paper will be published by ArtWay shortly, while the session as a whole was recorded and will be made available by The Liszt Institute and Insiders/Outsiders.

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Bartók Jazz Café.

Ervin Bossányi, The Christian Hope in Art, God's Collections, The Artist as Truth-Teller and André Girard

In June I will be giving several presentations on different aspects of the Arts.

Remembering Ervin Bossányi, Stained Glass Artist is an event at the Liszt Institute on 9 June dedicated to Hungarian-born artist Ervin Bossányi, best known for his stained glass windows at Canterbury Cathedral.

Ervin Bossányi (1891-1975) was born in a small village in southern Hungary and educated in Budapest. He worked as a painter and sculptor mainly in northern Germany until his forced emigration in 1934. In due course, he would establish a new career as a notable stained glass artist in England. He created stained glass windows for Senate House Library, University of London, the Tate Gallery (‘The Angel Blesses the Women Washing the Clothes’), the Victoria and Albert Museum (‘Noli me tangere’), as well as for York Minster, the President Woodrow Wilson memorial chapel in Washington National Cathedral, Washington DC and Canterbury Cathedral, among others.

Art historian Monica Bohm-Duchen, founding director of Insiders/Outsiders, will lead a panel discussion with family members, stained glass experts and others to explore the extraordinary life and unique cultural contribution of this still too little-recognised artist.

Panel participants:

• Ilona Bossányi: granddaughter of Ervin Bossányi
• Revd Jonathan Evens: Team Rector for Wickford and Runwell, who writes regularly on visual arts and has a special interest in émigré artists who worked for the Church
• Alfred Fisher MBE: stained glass artist, who worked with Bossányi
• Caroline Swash: stained glass artist and author of The 100 Best Stained Glass Sites in London

In my presentation I will briefly map out the context within which Bossanyi’s work and vision can best be understood and appreciated, by showing the extent to which aspects of his approaches were shared with others in his day and time.

The event is free but registration via Eventbrite is required. Doors open at 6.00 pm, event starts at 6.30 pm.

Then I'll be giving a presentation on 'The Christian Hope in Art' to ordinands and Licensed Lay Minister at South West Ministerial Training Course. This presentation will share three artworks shown at St Martin-in-the-Fields which show aspects of Christian hope plus initiatives in music and drama from St Martin's that enable engagement with the hope of Christianity.

Later in June I'll also be giving a tour of artworks at St Martin-in-the-Fields to participants in a seminar organised as part of Gods’ Collections, a project looking at why and how collections at places of worship have developed, how they have been looked after, and how understanding of them has changed over the millennia. Places of worship of all traditions have always accumulated collections. Today some places of worship have generated great art museums, while others just keep a few old things in a sacristy cupboard. Recent years have seen a considerable study of 'collection', 'collecting', and why people collect. God's Collections considers collections in the very distinct context of places of worship.

Finally, I will be talking about André Girard in The Artist as Truth-Teller and The Legacy of French Artist Georges Rouault, a symposium in Paris on Friday 17 June 2022, sponsored by the Association of Scholars of Christianity in the History of Art (ASCHA), The Department of Art History, ICP, and Institut supérieur de théologie des arts (ISTA), ICP, at Institut Catholique de Paris (ICP), 74 rue Vaugirard 75006 Paris, René Rémond lecture hall. For a complete schedule, see The Association of Scholars of Christianity in the History of Art (ASCHA). The symposium is free of charge but registration is required. To register go to https://colloque-georges-rouault.eventbrite.fr.

In my paper entitled ‘True humility is not mediocrity’ I will explore the influence of Rouault on the life and work of André Girard. I discovered the work of Girard through Christianity in Art by Frank and Dorothy Getlein, a book which views Rouault as being ‘the twentieth century artist above all others who fused into one monumental testament all the elements of the social revolution and the new Christianity’. Girard, as student and friend of Rouault, is seen by the Getlein’s as developing ‘the first move of Christian art toward the universal audience of today’.

Although he enjoyed considerable recognition in his own day and time, the reputation of Girard has diminished with time, unlike that of Rouault. As a result, his work is ripe for rediscovery. In this paper, in addition to highlighting key strands of Rouault’s influence on Girard such as humility and risk taking, I will also explore some of the reasons why Rouault’s work transcends his age, while that of Girard seems to remain within his. Additionally, I will share the contrasts in their work noted by their friend André Suares - penitence and affirmation.

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Arcade Fire - The Lightning I, II.

Remembering Ervin Bossányi, Stained Glass Artist

I'm looking forward to taking part in this event dedicated to Hungarian-born artist Ervin Bossányi (1891-1975), best known for his amazing stained glass windows at Canterbury Cathedral.

Ervin Bossányi (1891-1975) was born in a small village in southern Hungary and educated in Budapest. He worked as a painter and sculptor mainly in northern Germany until his forced emigration in 1934. In due course, he would establish a new career as a notable stained glass artist in England. He created stained glass windows for Senate House Library, University of London, the Tate Gallery (‘The Angel Blesses the Women Washing the Clothes’), the Victoria and Albert Museum (‘Noli me tangere’), as well as for York Minster, the President Woodrow Wilson memorial chapel in Washington National Cathedral, Washington DC and Canterbury Cathedral, among others.

Art historian Monica Bohm-Duchen, founding director of Insiders/Outsiders Festival, will lead a panel discussion with family members, stained glass experts and others to explore the extraordinary life and unique cultural contribution of this still too little-recognised artist.

Panel participants:

• Ilona Bossányi: granddaughter of Ervin Bossányi
• Revd Jonathan Evens: Team Rector for Wickford and Runwell, who writes regularly on visual arts and has a special interest in émigré artists who worked for the Church
• Alfred Fisher MBE: stained glass artist, who worked with Bossányi
• Caroline Swash: stained glass artist and author of The 100 Best Stained Glass Sites in London

The event is free but registration via Eventbrite is required - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/remembering-ervin-bossanyi-stained-glass-artist-tickets-339927070017. Doors open at 6.00 pm, event starts at 6.30 pm. The event is hosted by the Liszt Institute London,

17-19 Cockspur St, London SW1Y 5BL.

Read my Artlyst interview with Ilona Bossányi here, my Artlyst article on Refugee artists here, and my Church Times article on émigré artists who worked for the Church here.

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Keith Green - Stained Glass.

Sidney Nolan Trust: The Rodd

 
Sir Sidney Nolan was a leading artist of the 20th century. His Ned Kelly paintings became iconic, and today the Sidney Nolan Trust, which he founded in 1985, celebrates his life-long experimentation and passion for creativity, as well as his love for the environment.

Located at The Rodd, the Trust cares for his former home, studio, and 250-acre estate, together with a large collection of Nolan’s artworks, his library and personal archive.

The Rodd is located in NW Herefordshire, a stone’s throw from the England Wales border. It encompasses Rodd Court, a Jacobean manor house, which was the last home of Sidney and his wife Mary, an outstanding group of 17th century farm buildings that house our gallery, workshops, and offices and is surrounded by beautiful gardens and orchards. Rodd Farm and estate extend to 250 acres of farmland, semi-ancient natural woodland and the Hindwell brook. A changing display of works from the Nolan collection can be seen at The Rodd.

The Rodd is also home to Nolan’s last studio, the only to survive, and remains largely untouched. The studio provides visitors with a rare insight into Nolan’s materials and processes and is an important resource for continued research.

Situated in one of the 17th century barns, the studio contains over 1,000 items including cans of Nolan's favourite spray paints; stocks of dry pigment waiting to be mixed with the ‘new’ white glue, PVA; alkyd gel medium; and tins of household enamel. The flat bench that he worked on is covered in paintbrushes, spatulas, and paints, as if poised for another painting session. Nolan would often work in this space with the large wooden doors pulled closed, lit only by a powerful single halogen lamp hanging high above, as if to mimic the direct Australian sunlight.

When I visited the exhibition in the Gallery was 'Nolan à l’Atelier 17'. Nolan's etching experiments from his time at the famous Paris print workshop were presented alongside magnificent artworks by leading surrealists of the day.

Also on display in the grounds and house were sculptures by Daniel Pryde-Jarman and Simon Dorell's 'Jackdaws for company'. The latter being the result of Dorrell's solitary ramblings at The Rodd during lockdown. His ink and gouache paintings of the house and historic farm buildings present a unique record of The Rodd resting dormant.

The next exhibition in the Gallery is one I have previewed for Artlyst - 'Sidney Nolan: Colour of the Sky - Auschwitz Paintings'. "I do not see how the question of the camps can be forever shelved. Perhaps they will never be the material of art, it is impossible to tell. How can a disease be painted?" Read my preview here.

'Passion (1940-45): Representing the Holocaust', 21 August, 2 pm, The Rodd is an illustrated lecture by London-based art historian Monica Bohm-Duchen that will set the powerful works by Sidney Nolan on view at The Rodd in a broader cultural and theological context by considering those artists - most but not all of them Jewish - who from the late nineteenth century onwards, but above all in the shadow of World War Two and the Holocaust, chose to represent Jesus as the Jew he historically was, and as an emblem of Jewish suffering in the present. For more on this theme, see my Church Times article here.

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Midnight Oil - Forgotten Years.