BUDAPEST.- Together with their partners, the Ludwig Museum and the Foundation for Art and Culture (Stiftung für Kunst und Kultur) are organising the exhibition À la Recherche de Vera Molnar. The exhibition, hosted by the Ludwig Museum in Budapest, marks the first stage of an international tour dedicated to the most influential pioneer of computer art.

The exhibition pays tribute to the artistic legacy of Vera Molnar, who passed away shortly before her 100th birthday, on December 7, 2023. Born in Hungary and educated at the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts, Molnar lived and created in France from 1947 until her death. From 1968, she was among the first to create artworks using a real computer, and she is still widely regarded as one of the most significant pioneers of computer art.

The exhibition‘s title refers to Vera Molnar‘s series À la recherche de Paul Klee, recalling the artist‘s experiments in examining art historical influences through her own creative methods and tools. Similar to the narrator of Marcel Proust‘s novel sequence À la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time), Molnar was interested not only in the mere recall of the past but also in its reinterpretation in the context of the present.

Following this spirit, the two-part exhibition at the Ludwig Museum provides an overview of pivotal chapters in Vera Molnar‘s career. Displaying unique and reproduced graphic series and paintings, the exhibition spans from the late 1960s to the present day, presenting the most significant themes and art groups of this unique body of work, tracing the transformations in Molnar‘s line and form systems. The other part of the exhibition introduces, for the first time worldwide, a special international group exhibition featuring works and unique reflections by invited internationally acclaimed artists. This section pays homage to Molnar‘s legacy, and examines her impact on contemporary art.

Each of the artists created a piece in honour of her work. Some, such as Arno Beck, Patrick Lichty, Erwin Steller, Iskra Velitchkova, aurèce vettier, and Mark Wilson, have opted for graphic approach, while others, such as Refik Anadol, Snow Yunxue Fu, Mario Klingemann, Frieder Nake, Casey Reas, Antoine Schmitt, Tamiko Thiel and p/, Samuel Yan, have used algorithms to create generative works in video or aug- mented reality. Lastly, u2p050 has chosen to build a kinetic sculpture.

EXHIBITING ARTISTS

Refik ANADOL | Arno BECK | Snow Yunxue FU | Mario KLINGEMANN | Patrick LICHTY | Frieder NAKE | Casey REAS | Antoine SCHMITT | Erwin STELLER | Tamiko THIEL and
/p | u2p050 | Iskra VELITCHKOVA | aurèce vettier | Mark WILSON | Samuel YAN