Description
János Frank (1925–2004) was an art historian; his father had been a contributor of Hungarian avant-garde painter and poet Lajos Kassák’s avant-garde left-wing art journal, Munka (Work). Received higher education at Pázmány Péter University (the predecessor of Eötvös Loránd University) between 1947–1951. Spent his intern year at the Museum of Fine Arts Budapest, then went on to work as an assistant museologist at the Ferenczy Museum in Szentendre between 1952–1955. In 1955, he transferred to the Műcsarnok (Kunsthalle) in Budapest, as an associate. Later he became a senior associate, and then the head of the Department of Exhibitions (1983–1992). Started organising exhibitions in Hungary and abroad in 1951, as well as doing their preparatory work and editing their catalogues. Held lectures on planning exhibitions from the 1980s onwards, both in Budapest and in the countryside; in the 1985–86 school year, he was even invited to hold a lecture for the students of the Department of Art History at Eötvös Loránd University. His main areas of interest were 20th century and contemporary art, and the theoretical issues of exhibition planning. Author of numerous studies, catalogues, reviews, articles, interviews, memoirs and books. Was awarded the Munkácsy Prize (1977), the Prize of the Hungarian National Association of Creative Artists (1995), the Arnold Ipolyi Medal (1996) and the Széchenyi Prize (2003).
