Bela Horvath art exhibition opens at Southern State

This fall, Southern State Community College will showcase a special exhibition of oil paintings by world renown artist Bela Horvath, 1888-1973.

Beginning Oct. 12, more than 40 of Horvath’s paintings will be on display at the Appalachian Gateway Center on the college’s South Campus, 12681 U.S. Route 62 South, Fincastle. Exhibition hours are 9 a.m. to 9:40 p.m. Mondays, and 12 noon to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. Hours are subject to change; please contact Amanda Lewis at 1-800-628-7722, ext. 3520, to confirm. The paintings will be on display through Nov. 25.

An open house is scheduled for 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, at which time guests can meet with several collectors to discuss Horvath’s body of work.

The Hungarian-born artist earned his bachelor’s degree at the Academie of Fine Arts in Budapest, his master’s degree in painting and sculpturing at the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, and the equivalent of a doctorate at the Academie De Grande Chaumiere in Paris.

Horvath was chosen by the Hungarian government to evaluate paintings that had been ordered by Adolf Hitler to be removed from German museums. Because the paintings contradicted the philosophy of the Third Reich, they were to be removed and destroyed. With Horvath’s help, the Hungarian government acquired many of the paintings and saved them from destruction.

In 1949, he left occupied Hungary and relocated to the United States. Horvath settled in Dayton, Ohio, with his wife, Josephine Coppock, and established his studio in their home. He shared his talents and passion with students at the University of Dayton, where he taught from 1950-52. During that time, he taught painting and engineering drawing, as well as privately tutored future artists.

Horvath was dedicated to capturing realistic beauty through his meticulous skill and competence. Horvath believed everything an artist created should be an inspiration and that his work should be true, beautiful and harmonious. He stressed the importance of loving one’s work, knowing the landscape and having the training to express it in the medium of choice.

“God gives the artist the power to reproduce a person or a beautiful scene in a monument or a painting, and give the beauty back to nature,” Horvath said. “It is an artist’s responsibility to faithfully record nature with all his heart, all his soul, and all his power.”

He received numerous awards in both Europe and America prior to his death in 1973. His paintings—primarily depicting dramatic, peaceful landscapes of Budapest, Hungary; Dayton, Ohio; and Sedona, Ariz.—continue to hang in galleries, museums and private collections throughout the world.

For more information about the exhibit, please contact James Werline, director of Southern State’s fine arts program, at 1-800-628-7722, ext. 3669, or visit the Appalachian Gateway Center’s web site at www.appalachiangateway.org.