Ödön Lechner Centenary 2014

Text: György Szegő

Postal Savings Bank, photo: József Hajdú

Ödön Lechner died 100 ago, in the summer of 1914. Although centennial celebrations are supposed to be associated with births, we guess it is quite in style to remember such a significant anniversary of someone’s death as the evaluation of Art Nouveau (Secession) and thus that of „the Hungarian form” is rather contradictory. There should be an occasion for the assessment of the oeuvre without prejudices and biases when we also find its place in the national and international cannon. Prevailing the last third of the 20th century, this Zeitgeist pushed out the „modern” aspect of Art Nouveau from „progressive architecture”, and this has not been changed much since then. The past few decades in the history of Hungarian architecture has not found its emphases in its own times, but did so by following the logic of a later period of the history of architecture in Western Europe. In 2020 we are celebrating the 175th anniversary of Lechner’s birth. If it will be the Year of Architecture at the same time (let it be!), then we shall have a common goal to present and raise public awareness of a revived oeuvre of Lechner.