The human face is simultaneously viewer and viewed\, but mos tly the latter: even our own faces are only accessible for us when seen fro m the outside\, mirrored by some external object. The face is the most impo rtant part of the human being from the metaphysical\, ethical\, semiotic an d artistic points of view: the face has the power to create whole universes . The portrait is one of the most influential genres of fine art: tradition ally its aim is to represent the human face\, to depict a person’s appearan ce and personality. Though this definition of the genre may seem simple\, t he last decades have not seen many significant artworks that would fully su it its prerequisites. Apparently\, this kind of representation falls outsid e the scope of contemporary art: today the represented face is much more a means of expression than in previous times of art history. The question “Wh at is the significance of the portrait today?” is clearly a valid and timel y one. What kind of function may this genre serve in the age of photography \, film and the virtual? Who does the late 20th and early 21th century port rait represent and why? What sort of social function may the genre of the p ortrait serve today? These are the fundamental questions of the exhibition Through a Glass Darkly which also wishes to pay homage to the memory of the art collector and museum-founder Lajos Ernst on the occasion of the one hundred year anniversary of his museum. First and foremost\, Ernst was a collector and exhibitor of portraits: during his leadership\, the perman ent exhibition of the Budapest Ernst Museum consisted mainly of historical portraits of poets\, artists and public figures. The present exhibition inv olves several works commemorating Ernst’s art collection\, however\, in con trast with his romantic\, heroic organising principle\, the intention of th e present show is to shed light on the artistic changes of the last four de cades regarding the means\, motives and goals of the representation of the human face.

DTEND:20130407 DTSTAMP:20141225T192443 DTSTART:20130124 GEO:47.5022905;19.0616426 LOCATION:ERNST MÚZEUM\,Nagymező u. 8. \n Budapest\, H-1065 SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY (FACES PAST AND PRESENT)\, Marina Abramović\ , Peter Aerschmann\, Szépfalvi Ágnes\, Francis Alÿs\, Beöthy Balázs\, Josep h Beuys\, Christian Boltanski\, Rineke Dijkstra\, Maurer Dóra\, Marlene Dum as\, Tót Endre\, Valie Export\, Gilbert & George\, Nan Goldin\, Hámos Guszt áv\, Jovián György\, Gary Hill\, Gaál József\, Birgit Jürgenssen\, Kelemen Károly\, William Pope L.\, Fehér László\, Sarah Lucas\, Urs Lüthi\, Esterhá zy Marcell\, Erdély Miklós\, Hermann Nitsch\, Mike Parr\, Türk Péter\, Arnu lf Rainer\, Józef Robakowski\, Ulrike Rosenbach\, Dieter Roth\, Thomas Ruff \, Andres Serrano\, Cindy Sherman\, Veres Szabolcs\, Hajas Tibor\, Bill Vio la\, Peter Weibel UID:259260 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR