2nd National Photo Festival - A World Exposed

Hungarian Month of Photography 2000

 

ASSOCIATION OF HUNGARIAN PHOTOGRAPHERS
Activities and History

     The ASSOCIATION OF HUNGARIAN PHOTOGRAPHERS was founded in 1956. It has 287 members. As a public association its main mission is to support and facilitate creative photographic activities and to serve as professional representative for its members in cooperation with other organizations. By organizing exhibitions as well as public forums and discussions, providing applications, releasing publications and supporting theoretical, historical and technical research programs, the Association helps to provide cultural and educational programs and to promote interest, both locally and internationally, in Hungarian photography.

General Assembly, 27. November 2000. - Vote	Peter Korniss photograph remarks

     Its chief governing body is the General Assembly which chooses every five years an executive composed of president, vice-presidents, committees and leaders of various workshops. Currently the president is Mr. János Eifert. The vice-presidents are: Dr. József Hefelle, Péter Tímár and Tibor Szűcs.

Peter Tímár vicepresident, Endre Schwanner, Lajos Horváth and Janos Eifert president	Tibor Szűcs, vicepresident	Árpád Göncz the president of the republic with Dr. J. Hefelle vicepresident

     Duties are shared equally between committees and workshops:

     Art Committee: coordinates the artistic activities of the Association.

     Theoretical and Historical Committee: researches and publishes results concerning the theoretical and artistic changes within the medium of photography; organizes courses and education.

Programme bouklet	Book - Hungarian Month of Photography	Mai-June 2000. - Discuss about the picture, Kunsthalle

     Admission Committee: responsible for the artistic quality of members' work; makes decisions independently of the directive committees.

     Committee of Regional Members: coordinates the interests and aspects of members from outside of Budapest.

     Auditing Committee: takes care of finance.

     Ethical Committee: follows and analyses ethical questions and makes suggestions for their solution.

     The Young Artists' Photography Studio was established in 1977 and the First Creative Workshop started in 1993. The Senior Creative Workshop, press photographers' Károly Escher Workshop, nature photographers' Camera Natura (Hungarica) Workshop and applied photographers' József Pécsi Workshop were created and have worked successfully only in the past few years.

Photos: Frank Aljona	Zoltán Szalay	István Tóth	Örs Harnóczy

     Members include photographers making autonomous artwork, professional photographers as well as employees and directors of the press and agencies, archives, museums; photographers making applied artwork, experts working in the spheres of science and medical or technical fields, nature photographers, professional and amateur photographers working at a high level of quality. Several members of the Association deal with ethical, historical and theoretical questions concerning the medium and many of them publish albums, books as well as articles in both local and international publications. Numerous members have their own extensive archives. Besides creative work, members can also provide their services to appraise or determine the provenance of work for businesses or private interests. Honored members of the Association include renowned and internationally respected photographers and our supporting members and friends play significant roles in both the spheres of culture and business.

János Eifert president and Éva Keleti	Éva keleti: Extazis (1973)	2. National Photoweeks: J. Hámori cult.minister

     The office of the Association is located in the center of Budapest in the House of Hungarian Photographers ("Mai Manó" House) opening hours are between 9:00 am - 4:00 pm. The Secretary's office supports the work of the president and the presidency, who carry out their duties as social office-holders according to the provisions and rules of the Association's constitution. Among other tasks they make suggestions for awards and honors, participate in preparing essential policy, and by reconciling the association's interests with those of other groups and organizations they promote professional and artistic cooperation.

Exhibition of Károly Hemző, Vigadó Gallery	Certificate and Prize of Assotiation of Hungarian Photographers

     In 1966 the Association started the magazine Photographers's Bulletin, predecessor to today's Photo Art. It published or supported the publication of numerous books, photo albums and brochures. It methodically collects photographs, articles, manuscripts, interviews and lectures in digitized form, which they intend to release for public use as an interactive Photo CD. They also have an Internet magazine and its members participate in editing the magazines Photo Art and Photo Video both as editors and authors.

     Beside tasks of management and information the theoretical, critical, historical and archival as well as publishing duties of the Association are of key importance. Members who contributed in creating the nearly 200,000-piece collection of the Hungarian Photography Museum in Kecskemét in 1991 are still alive. Together with Budapest Photography Inc. the Association operates the Hungarian Photography Foundation whose purpose is to guard and extend the public collection of the Museum as well as secure the necessary financial and technical background. This also concerns the House of Hungarian Photographers ("Mai Manó" House) which is also where the Association's office is located. The House is regarded as the intellectual and professional center of Hungarian photography as an independent art and profession. By organizing lectures and panel discussions, providing information, controlling dealership and operating a library, video and audio rental and an archive it promotes artistic, scientific and cultural aspects of photographic activities.

Photos: F.P. Angelo, Rudolf Balogh - Hungarian Photography Museum

     By presenting and popularizing classic and contemporary values it helps to make photography a socially respected and internationally well-received medium of art. The "Mai Manó" House is in close contact with the Hungarian Photography Museum as well as with other local and foreign professional organizations and cultural institutions.

     Local and international competitions, biennials, solo exhibitions and exhibition series are also organized here - e.g. Dance, The Nude, Nature and Music in Contemporary Photography; The Recent Past; France Through the Eyes of Hungarian Photographers; Senior Photographers at the Millennium - as well as retrospective exhibitions.

Photo: Imre Benkő	Dance in Contemporary Photography	Photo: Péter Hapák

     In 1998 the Association participated in the organization of the First Hungarian Photo Week that hosted 120 exhibitions and 38 events. A year later it absorbed the task of organizing the Second Hungarian Photo Week - by then the largest photo venue of the country - completely independently. Last year the event became a series of programs that took its position among the most important European photography festivals and changed its name to the Hungarian Photo Month. The event hosted 70 exhibitions with the participation of both Hungarian and foreign artists; international competitions; the presentation of the book Photography at the Millenium; and a theoretical symposium on the topic of The Image and the Twentieth Century.

     In the year 2000 a new institution was born: at the Hungarian Széchényi Library the Contemporary Photography Collection and Archive was created. The purpose is to collect, analyze, guard and convey the values of contemporary photography and provide access to the documents for researchers, historians and the public as well.

János Eifert, president
Hungarian Photographers Association