Hunting for undervalued artists
– A conversation with art collector and gallery owner Kálmán Makláry and Péter Horn, CEO of B. Braun Hungary
One of them sees art collecting as a kind of justice, while the other sees it as, among other things, a value-based investment and treasure hunt. Both are actively working to change the perception and acceptance of certain Hungarian artists who are little known in Hungary but are of significant Hungarian origin. Kálmán Makláry, owner of Kálmán Makláry Fine Arts, and Péter Horn, CEO of B. Braun Hungary, are both interested in art and business, particularly in things that are not valued by the market according to their potential.
Every collection is a self-portrait. What does yours say about you?
Kálmán Makláry: My collection includes many artists who are well known and recognized abroad, mainly in France, but who are hardly known at home. The reason for this is that they defected and were classified as banned artists for a long time. This led to the development of two parallel artistic canons: one in Hungary and the other in the West, which often have little contact with each other. As the painter Sándor Molnár put it: the countries of Central Europe are schizophrenic, they have two selves: one belonging to those who stayed at home and the other to those living abroad. Thus, the “great artists” are different, most of the names known today disappear, and Hungarian works created abroad take their place. Perhaps my most characteristic endeavor is to resolve this schizophrenic state and unite the two worlds.
Péter Horn: My collection is diverse. As the managing director of B. Braun, a German medical device manufacturer, I love structures, measurable, efficient processes, and rules. For me, collecting is about experiencing freedom. There is only one rule: I buy from Hungarian artists.
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