The painter Péter Tuzson-Berczeli, who lives in Dunakeszin, and member of the public body of the Hungarian Academy of Arts, which has been awarded several times by the state, was awarded the MAOE’s professional recognition award after the presentation of the recently published album charting his artistic career.
Moving backwards in the sequence of events, we were pleased to learn that Péter Tuzson-Berczeli was also honored by the Dunkesi awardee among those recognized by the Municipality of Pest County. Following a proposal by representatives, the County Assembly of the County awarded Péter Tuzson-Berczeli with a Memorial Medal for the County of Pest “in recognition of his outstanding achievements in the field of art and his social involvement”.
In 1999, the General Assembly decided to celebrate the county day, in memory of the fact that the county of Pest-Pilis-Solt was founded 356 years ago. On this day, commemorating the rebirth of the county, a community celebration is held together, with those coming from the county’s 187 settlements and all those with whom there is a special relationship. In the framework of the ceremony, the awards of the county honoree are presented – recognizing the efforts made in the interests of public education, science, culture, architecture, environmental protection, public safety and social cohesion. Saying thanks to all those who were capable of exemplary deeds and above-average achievements in their profession or everyday life.
Péter Tuzson-Berczeli received the Memorial Medal for the County of Pest from István Szabó, the President of the General Assembly of the County of Pest, during the ceremony at the County Hall.
In the eulogy, it was said: “The Municipality of Pest County has awarded Péter Tuzson-Berczeli with a memorial award for Pest County, in recognition of his outstanding achievements in the field of art, his social involvement and his activities that enrich the artistic and cultural life of the county. Dunakeszin, a living artist born in Marosvásárhely, authentically serves the idealism of all-Hungarian unity of the Carpathian Basin and unity with the motherland with his creative activity. Péter Tuzson-Berczeli, with his outstanding creative activity and community work spanning more than three decades, greatly contributes to the presentation of domestic and international artistic values. Since 2017, he has been a public board member of the Hungarian Academy of Arts. In 2022, the President of the Republic of Hungary awarded him with the Knight’s Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit in recognition of his outstanding career in the creative arts and artistic public activity”.
Before the award, we were able to welcome the painter living in Dunakesz among the professional award winners of the National Association of Hungarian Artists at the invitational exhibition entitled “METAPHYSIKA” opened in the MANK Gallery of the Old Art Colony in Szentendre. In the exhibition announced for the eleventh time this year, 30-50 artists from the 2,000-person membership of the MAOE Fine Arts Department are invited to participate, following a professional decision, which in itself is a cause for recognition.
The members of the jury were János Aknay, Artist of the Nation, Kossuth Prize-winning painter, and president of MAOE. Sárkány Győző Ferenczy is a Noémi Award-winning graphic artist, Merited Artist, vice-president of MAOE, president of Hungart. Art historian Ildikó D. Udvary, director of the Pesterzsébet Museum. Following their decision, the exhibition’s four outstanding works were awarded professional recognition. We were pleased to welcome the painter Péter Tuzson-Berczeli, who was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit and the Hungarian Gold Cross of Merit, and a member of the public board of the Hungarian Academy of Arts, among the awardees. For the fourth time (2015, 2017, 2018, 2023) in eleven years, the artist living in our city won the professional recognition of the MAOE thematic exhibition series.
At the first event of the successful three-week series, our editorial team was also present at the exhibition organized at the VOKE József Attila Cultural Center in Dunakeszin, where the art album charting Péter Tuzson-Berczeli’s career so far was presented, edited by Attila Csoma, director of VOKE JAMK, and whose main patron is Csaba Dióssi , was the mayor of Dunakeszi.
Eszter Vitályos, parliamentary state secretary and deputy minister of the Ministry of Culture and Innovation, who opened the exhibition and wrote the book recommendation, reminded us at the album presentation that Péter Tuzson-Berczeli has been awarded the title of Knight of Hungarian Culture since 2019, in addition to many other valuable awards. “It couldn’t have gone to a more worthy person, since the tasks of the knights have always been to spread beauty, goodness and truth, and tonight is about these ideals,” said the deputy minister at the Magyarság Gallery’s book launch exhibition.
Csaba Dióssi, the mayor of Dunakeszi City and the main patron of the event, stated the following in the mayoral recommendation of the album: “With his works, his work, and his participation in national and international exhibitions, Péter Tuzson-Berczeli takes the reputation of our city far and wide. With the works collected in this album, the artist will also reach your home. In Dunakeszin, we put a lot of emphasis on talent management, in which he also takes part. He is one of the founders and has been an active member of the DunArt Fine Arts Association, where he gladly supports fellow artists with his advice and experience. He is a regular exhibitor of the 26-year-old Dunakeszi Summer Exhibition. As the Mayor of the City of Dunakeszi, I am proud that the artist from Marosvásárhely has found a home in our town”.
Attila Csoma, director of VOKE JAMK, curator of the exhibition and editor-in-chief of the album, spoke about the circumstances of the birth of the book at the festive event. In his editorial foreword, he wrote that “Péter Tuzson-Berczeli moved to Hungary during the regime change, and has been living and creating in Dunakesz since 1991. He is a member of all well-known fine art professional organizations and a regular exhibitor at the most important domestic and international exhibitions: the number of his individual and group exhibitions so far exceeds three hundred. With the release of this album, our undisclosed goal was to make the 2016 Félúton c. after the catalog volume and the 2021 HUNGART-published, guidebook and gap-filling mini-monograph written by Tibor Wehner, a work aiming for completeness, presenting the artist’s oeuvre with a monographic demand, should be created”.
Art historian Lajos Golovics, the author of the album, described the painter as a “mature, established” artist who received major awards, and his pictures were featured in countless exhibitions both at home and abroad. The album reveals how he came together, his style was refined, how he found his own voice, the art historian indicated. He added that for this, Péter Tuzson-Berczeli had to start all over again, which required “spirit, independent thinking”, to go back to the basics. He also explained that the painter had to sacrifice art for a while in order to raise his family and children, and “stood up like a lion for his family”.
Péter Tuzson-Berczeli has now reached a point in his search for a path, his “master’s path”, where he can take stock of the work of the past years, said the art historian.
Upon our inquiry, the multi-awarded artist living in Dunakesz told us that he has great respect for the supportive love of his immediate environment and family! The professional feedback of well-known and exemplary colleagues is especially honorable. He stated that he had a truly rare and unusual three weeks behind him, whose heart-warming successes he experienced as a special gift from the Providence, which was also an additional responsibility. He is convinced that success is essential for an artist, but at the same time it is quite a quagmire. It requires insight and moderation, since in the absence of humility, we can easily miss the goal as a person and as an artist. On the other hand, treating the result of several decades of work on its value and in its place, it fills you with the joy of confirmation, gives you strength in your inner creative insecurities, that your efforts are noticed, recognized and supported. According to Péter Tuzson-Berczeli, the published art album is Dunakeszi’s most beautiful professional gift, which he has been able to receive in his creative journey so far. In addition to the joy of the Pest County recognition and the new MAOE award, it is a particularly good feeling for him that he can somehow repay some of the trust placed in him, and with his artistic work and recognition, he too can enhance the national and international reputation of the city of Dunakeszi. After all, there is a community behind every success, so this is our joint success!
(B. Szentmártoni)
Photo: Tamás Tuzson-Berczeli
