Heavens of Heavens – The Painted Spaces of the Thought
Until 22nd February 2025
Tihamér Gyarmathy (1915–2005)
A remarkable C20th artist who remained true to himself throughout his 90-year life. Those familiar with his name and works associate him with a world of colours, lights, and unusual structures which convey a message about the rhythm, movement and flow of life. Behind all this lies the age-old question, one that every generation has pondered: What’s life like? And who, or what, might lie behind its secrets?
Gyarmathy was always captivated by what he could understand of the world – the colours and lights / the verticals and horizontals / the strange order that often seemed structural – all hiding the universe he sought to discover, and encompassing both the micro¯ocosm.
His work was built around rhythmic forms and warm colours which he formed into a richly flowing and ever-changing world, that we can find stirs thought and guides direction.
He not only applied the discoveries of science; but also his own inner thoughts to his brush, creating these vibrantly rich surfaces that draw the viewer in deeper through sensing the presence of multiple dimensions.

Throughout his life Gyarmathy sought connections with those who helped shape and deepen his knowledge and creative desires, and he sought those who would mould his vision and strengthen his artistic path:
– his early years, in Pécs, were influenced by his teacher Jenő Gábor;
– his later years, by the Bauhaus masters who provided the foundation for his clean compositions and forms;
– and his foreign travels, introduced him to avant-garde artists such as Kandinsky, Klee, and Mondrian – whose works opened new artistic perspectives for him.
In the 1940s, he was influenced by Ernő Kállai’s theory of bio-romanticism – namely “The hidden face of nature”: Can it be known, revealed, felt, and depicted?
In pursuit of this, Gyarmathy initially drew inspiration from microscopic life forms, and later turned his attention towards cosmic dimensions – constructing a sovereign worldview in his works that was not necessarily defined confined by contemporary scientific results.
He captured and depicted the universe through his unique intuition as well as in his perception of conceptual space of his own making.
As Paul Klee once wrote: “Art does not reproduce the visible; rather, it makes it visible.”
In the (WWII) post-war years, Gyarmathy’s search for direction was with the European School and the Group of Abstract Artists. This led him through challenging times towards the development of his own distinctive style, and to the refinement of his inner path – being one of self-chosen isolation: preferring to remain in his own world of thoughts to grant preserve his true freedom of choice.
The biblical phrase “… heavens of heavens …” hints at something of the great Creator – the Thinker/Scientist/Artist who can come to know the mysteries of understanding and to see the universe in ever greater depth detail.
Wisdom comes from knowing that: “… by faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” (Hebrews 11:3)
From Generation to Generation – Böhm-Collection
Exhibition
Until 27th July 2024
From generation to generation – preceding and proceeding in our footsteps…
It is always a challenge to convey the intellectual, spiritual and material legacy of successive generations to the general public in the closed world of an exhibition space.
The encounter with art forms shapes us and encourages us to move forwards.
This mission began with the foundation of József Böhm the Elder’s collection, mainly selected from the works of the Nagybánya masters.
József Böhm Jr.’s collection was greatly influenced by the works of
Transylvanian artists, including Saxon artists, and then, along with the lovingly preserved material from Nagybánya, he further enriched his collection with works from the Central European avant-garde and constructive art movement.
The exhibition honours the heritage that has guided us through the past and continues to guide us through the present and into the future.
