Connecting continents and eras
The Hungarian Museum of Architecture and Monument Protection Documentation Center has acquired objects of the world-famous Hungarian-American architect Marcel Breuer from private collections in the USA. The institution purchased five pieces of furniture from the Trust once used by Breuer in his Wellfleet cottage: an Isokon lounge chair made of plywood, two of his famous tubular steel chairs, one Wassily and one Cesca chair, as well as Breuer's porch table made of concrete elements and a stone slab along with a matching chair.
Compared to Breuer's mass-produced furniture, these two latter pieces are unique items made specifically for the summer house. Two other gems of the acquired materials are models of building elements, which survived in the cottage and provide an insight into the work of Breuer's office. The institution also purchased twenty books in which we can discover the signatures of Breuer's friends, colleagues, and admirers. The institution also acquired the copyrights of one hundred from the thousands of photographs taken by Tamas Breuer of the house and the Breuer family.
On 13 and 14 October 2025, during the Design Week, the institution presented the purchased material to the press and the general public at the museum's exhibition venue, the Walter Rózsi Villa. Attila Turi, the President of HAA, the institution's funder was the first to speak at the press conference held on 13 October. He praised Breuer's work and emphasized that "Marcel Breuer's oeuvre is an outstanding chapter in 20th-century architecture. Breuer had a career that connects continents and eras, showing that Hungarian architectural thinking is at home at the forefront of the world." He also drew attention to the fact that "the arrival of the bequest is both a saving of the past and a building of the future for the Academy and the Museum." Then, Regő Lánszki, the state secretary of the Ministry of Construction and Transport, national chief architect, delivered his speech, emphasizing that "in recent years, the HMA MPDC has become a real museum and an institution of international standing; a place that not only preserves but also enriches the Hungarian architectural heritage." He also pointed out that "This collection is the harbinger of a new era. Our joint venture – with the Academy and the Museum – is the creation of the new Hungarian Architecture Center, which will be both a museum and an inspirational place." Dr. Kornél Almássy, the Director of the HMA MPDC, pointed out the significance of this acquisition: "This purchase represents an outstanding success not only on a Hungarian but also on a Central European scale, with which we will further increase the significance of this uniquely rich architectural collection in the Carpathian Basin."
Marcel Breuer is one of the most significant figures in 20th-century architectural history. Iconic objects such as the famous Wassily and Cesca chairs are associated with his name, and his brutalist architecture represents the cutting edge of design during its era. Breuer, who was born in Pécs, Southern Hungary, never had a building constructed within Hungary and very few of his personal objects have reached his home country. The HMA MPDC has now filled this gap.
In the spring of 2025 two significant collections from American private properties were obtained by the Museum Department of the HMA MPDC. One of the collections comes from Marcel Breuer's own cottage in Wellfleet on Cape Cod. The house is currently owned by the Cape Cod Modern House Trust, established to save and preserve the modern architectural heritage of Cape Cod. The Trust purchased the building from Breuer's son, Tamas Breuer, in 2024 and completed its renovation in June 2025.
The other group of objects was added to the collection by Mihály Szarvasy, a Hungarian-born collector living in New York. Szarvasy deposited some of the furniture, books, and documents from the bequest of Marcel Breuer's former partner and colleague, Hamilton Smith, in the HMA MPDC. This collection includes several pieces of Breuer's most popular chair, the Cesca, as well as monographs about Breuer that he dedicated to Smith.
The objects are also to be on display at the Walter Rózsi Villa's Brutalism exhibition next year.
On 13 and 14 October 2025, during the Design Week, the institution presented the purchased material to the press and the general public at the museum's exhibition venue, the Walter Rózsi Villa. Attila Turi, the President of HAA, the institution's funder was the first to speak at the press conference held on 13 October. He praised Breuer's work and emphasized that "Marcel Breuer's oeuvre is an outstanding chapter in 20th-century architecture. Breuer had a career that connects continents and eras, showing that Hungarian architectural thinking is at home at the forefront of the world." He also drew attention to the fact that "the arrival of the bequest is both a saving of the past and a building of the future for the Academy and the Museum." Then, Regő Lánszki, the state secretary of the Ministry of Construction and Transport, national chief architect, delivered his speech, emphasizing that "in recent years, the HMA MPDC has become a real museum and an institution of international standing; a place that not only preserves but also enriches the Hungarian architectural heritage." He also pointed out that "This collection is the harbinger of a new era. Our joint venture – with the Academy and the Museum – is the creation of the new Hungarian Architecture Center, which will be both a museum and an inspirational place." Dr. Kornél Almássy, the Director of the HMA MPDC, pointed out the significance of this acquisition: "This purchase represents an outstanding success not only on a Hungarian but also on a Central European scale, with which we will further increase the significance of this uniquely rich architectural collection in the Carpathian Basin."
Marcel Breuer is one of the most significant figures in 20th-century architectural history. Iconic objects such as the famous Wassily and Cesca chairs are associated with his name, and his brutalist architecture represents the cutting edge of design during its era. Breuer, who was born in Pécs, Southern Hungary, never had a building constructed within Hungary and very few of his personal objects have reached his home country. The HMA MPDC has now filled this gap.
In the spring of 2025 two significant collections from American private properties were obtained by the Museum Department of the HMA MPDC. One of the collections comes from Marcel Breuer's own cottage in Wellfleet on Cape Cod. The house is currently owned by the Cape Cod Modern House Trust, established to save and preserve the modern architectural heritage of Cape Cod. The Trust purchased the building from Breuer's son, Tamas Breuer, in 2024 and completed its renovation in June 2025.
The other group of objects was added to the collection by Mihály Szarvasy, a Hungarian-born collector living in New York. Szarvasy deposited some of the furniture, books, and documents from the bequest of Marcel Breuer's former partner and colleague, Hamilton Smith, in the HMA MPDC. This collection includes several pieces of Breuer's most popular chair, the Cesca, as well as monographs about Breuer that he dedicated to Smith.
The objects are also to be on display at the Walter Rózsi Villa's Brutalism exhibition next year.
October 30, 2025
