Ernő Kállai (9 November 1890,

Săcălaz Săcălaz (formerly Săcalhaz; ; Banat Swabian: ''Sacklass''; ) is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Beregsău Mare, Beregsău Mic and Săcălaz (commune seat). Name Geography Săcălaz is located west ...

– 28 November 1954,

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

) was a Hungarian

art critic An art critic is a person who is specialized in analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating art. Their written critiques or reviews contribute to art criticism and they are published in newspapers, magazines, books, exhibition brochures, and catalogue ...

who was involved in the promotion of and theorisation around

Constructivism Constructivism may refer to: Art and architecture * Constructivism (art), an early 20th-century artistic movement that extols art as a practice for social purposes * Constructivist architecture, an architectural movement in the Soviet Union in t ...

. He encountered

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

art upon visiting the MA gallery of

Lajos Kassák Lajos Kassák (March 21, 1887 – July 22, 1967) was a Hungarian poet, novelist, painter, essayist, editor, theoretician of the avant-garde, and translator. Self-taught, he became a writer within the socialist movement and published journa ...

and soon contributed to '' MA'' under the pseudonym Péter Mátyás. Following the suppression of the

Hungarian Soviet Republic The Hungarian Soviet Republic, also known as the Socialist Federative Soviet Republic of Hungary was a short-lived communist state that existed from 21 March 1919 to 1 August 1919 (133 days), succeeding the First Hungarian Republic. The Hungari ...

, Kállai went to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

but stayed in touch with other Hungarian refugees from the avant-garde art movement in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. In 1923 he wrote “The Russian Exhibition in Berlin” (Originally published as “A berlini orosz kiállítás”,

Akasztott Ember ''Akasztott Ember'' (Hanged Man) was a Hungarian language avant-garde art magazine published in Vienna by Sándor Barta. Five issues appeared between November 1922 and February 1923. It was subtitled "The Organ of Universal Socialist Culture". Bar ...

vol. 2 (February 15, 1923)] He also co-wrote a manifesto, “Nyilatkozat”, with Alfréd Kemény,

László Moholy-Nagy László Moholy-Nagy (; ; born László Weisz; July 20, 1895 – November 24, 1946) was a Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian painter and photographer as well as a professor in the Bauhaus school. He was highly influenced by Constructivism (art), con ...

and

Laszlo Peri Peter Laszlo Peri (born László Weisz; 13 June 1899 – 19 January 1967) was an artist and sculptor. Name changes László Weisz was born on 13 June 1899 in Budapest, Hungary. His family Magyarized their family name to "''Péri''". When he mo ...

which appeared in ''

Egység ''Egység'' was a communist Hungarian art magazine published in Vienna and Berlin between 1922 and 1924. The full title was ''Egység, Irodalom, Müvészet'' which means "Unity, Literature, Art". Éva Forgács, Tyrus Miller, (2013) "The Avant-Ga ...

'' no. 4 (February 1923)]

References

{{Authority control 1890 births 1954 deaths