Pianist and organist István Lantos, graphic artist and caricaturist Ferenc Sajdik and composer and pianist György Selmeczi received this year's National Artist award, considered the most prestigious artistic recognition in Hungary, on Monday at the headquarters of the Hungarian Academy of Arts (MMA) in Pesti Vigado.
Minister of Culture and Innovation János Csák emphasized at the award ceremony that the Hungarians are able to survive among stronger nations because they have strong traditions. Tradition is not created, but inherited, over the course of generations - he reminded, adding: it is based on the trinity of God, family, homeland, and in addition, individual and constitutional freedom.
He warned, however, that all this is still not enough without organizing power, so institutions that are able to carry on the tradition across generations are important, and at the head of the institutions, the person of the leaders is important. The minister therefore criticized the fact that the outgoing president György Vashegyi was not asked to be the honorary president at the last general meeting of the MMA. János Csák called it an injustice that the general assembly decided not even to vote on the election of the honorary president. He said that with this "a tradition will end, since the outgoing presidents have all become honorary presidents. I think this is unfair". He added, "to sustain our world, we must respect our institutions and respect our leaders."
János Csák emphasized: the Hungarian state supports Hungarian culture with all its might, spending more on it in terms of GDP than any other European country.
This year's three honorees of the National Art Award, composer and pianist György Selmeczi (b2), pianist and organist István Lantos (b3) and graphic artist and cartoonist Ferenc Sajdik (b4) and the two award presenters, Minister of Culture and Innovation János Csák (j) and Vashegyi György, the outgoing president of the Hungarian Academy of Arts (b) on the occasion of the presentation of the most prestigious Hungarian artistic award at the ceremony held in Vigado, Pest on November 3, 2023.
MTI/Zoltán Balogh
The National Artist Board, these seventy people embody everything that can be considered ideal in the creations, dedication, and education of the students, he said, adding that three great artists can receive the recognition "who can communicate something not only to us Hungarians, but to humanity." .
György Vashegyi, the outgoing president of the MMA, recalled: ten years ago, the Hungarian Academy of Arts initiated the establishment of the prize in the Parliament in order to create the most prestigious society of Hungarian art and culture for its outstanding artists in the fields of theater, literature, music, visual arts, in the fields of film art, architectural art, dance art, industrial art, photography, folk art and circus art.
István Lantos received the award in recognition of his activities as a pianist and organist, as well as music pedagogy.
Ferenc Sajdik was chosen as the artist of the nation by the award committee in recognition of his life work as a graphic artist and caricaturist.
He received the award in recognition of György Selmeczi's outstanding work as a composer, conductor and performer.
The Artist of the Nation award was founded by the National Assembly in 2013 at the initiative of the MMA in order to personally appreciate and ensure the dignified living conditions of outstanding representatives of the Hungarian artistic life. The awarding of the award is decided by the Artist of the Nation Award Committee, the board is made up of 11 Kossuth award-winning artists.
The title of Artist of the Nation can be awarded to artists who have previously been awarded the Kossuth Prize and who have reached the age of 65 – for dance artists and 50 years for circus artists – the title can be held by up to 70 people at the same time.
The recognition, which was awarded for the first time in 2014, is presented every year in connection with the anniversary of the establishment of the Hungarian Academy of Arts on November 5.
MTI
Front page photo: Pianist and organist István Lantos (k) after receiving the National Artist award from the Minister of Culture and Innovation János Csák (b) and György Vashegyi, the outgoing president of the Hungarian Academy of Arts (j) on the occasion of the presentation of the award, considered the most prestigious artistic recognition in Hungary, at the Pest At a ceremony held in Vigado on November 3, 2023.
MTI/Zoltán Balogh
