Istvan Sandorfi

16 Mar. 2026 - 30 Apr.

Kálmán Makláry Fine Arts Gallery

Exhibited works

Sándorfi István: A realizmus és a szürrealizmus fenséges találkozása

"Szerencsés vagyok, mivel a gyűjteményemben szereplő alkotók közül mind Reigl Juditot, mind Sándorfi Istvánt még személyesen ismerhettem. István – akivel többször találkoztam Párizsban és Budapesten is – művészete azért különleges számomra, mert páratlan, vermeeri szintű festői tudással ötvözi a realizmus és a szürrealizmus világát. Festményein megjelenik a külső valóság részletgazdag, valószerű ábrázolá- sa, ugyanakkor a kompozíciókban, a szándékosan elmosódott vagy hiányzó részletekben a szürrealista, álomszerű belső világ tükröződik. Ez a kettősség adja műveinek különleges atmoszféráját és érzelmi mélységét, ahol a látható és a megfoghatatlan egyaránt jelen van.

Sándorfi művészete így meghaladja a puszta szép ábrázolás kereteit, és – ahogy Edmund Burke írta – a fenséges tapasztalatán keresztül olyan hatalmas és lenyűgöző élményt teremt, amely egyszerre kelt félelmet és csodálatot, amelyben a szépség mellett az érzelmi intenzitás, a meghökkentő, megfoghatatlan hatás áll a középpontban. Festményei ebben a spirituális értelemben a fenséges művészet megtestesítői, hiszen alkotójuk nemcsak a látott valóságot járja körül, hanem az emberi lélek mélységeit, bizonytalanságait és szubjektív igazságait is megmutatja.

Ezért tartom Sándorfi Istvánt nem csupán mesterségbeli virtuóznak, hanem olyan művésznek, aki a realizmus és a képzelet találkozásával egyedi, időtálló világot teremtett. Művei egyszerre tükrözik a hiteles látványt és a látó művész személyes belső univerzumát.

Sándorfi művészete számomra azért is nagyon aktuális, mert azt mutatja meg, hogy az AI miért nem tudja átvenni az ember szerepét: létre lehet hozni ugyan Sándorfi-szintű „tökéletes” alkotást, de a véletlen vagy érzelmek által irányított szándékos hibákat, a képben rejlő érzéseket lehetetlen leutánozni, vagy ha igen, az már nem egy őszinte alkotás – giccs lesz.

Sándorfi életében igazi sztár volt: képei nemzetközileg is magas összegekért keltek el még a festőállványról. Műveit ma is nagyon sokan szeretik, a Horn_collection Instagram-oldalamon a legnépszerűbb képek mindig Sándorfi alkotásai. A mostani kiállítás tisztelgés egy méltánytalanul elfelejtett, zseniális magyar származású művész és különleges ember előtt." - Horn Péter

Istvan Sandorfi: The Sublime Encounter of Realism and Surrealism

"I consider myself fortunate, because among the artists represented in my collection I had the opportunity to know both Judit Reigl and Istvan Sandorfi personally. Istvan—whom I met several times both in Paris and in Budapest—is particularly special to me because, with his unparalleled, Vermeer-level painterly mastery, he unites the worlds of realism and surrealism. His paintings display a richly detailed, lifelike representation of external reality, while at the same time, through compositions and deliberately blurred or missing elements, a surreal, dreamlike inner world is reflected. This duality gives his works their distinctive atmosphere and emotional depth, where the visible and the intangible coexist.

Sandorfi’s art thus transcends the mere boundaries of beautiful representation and creates a sublime experience—just as Edmund Burke described—one that is vast and overwhelming, evoking both fear and admiration, in which emotional intensity and a striking,
elusive impact stand at the center alongside beauty. In this spiritual sense, his paintings embody the art of the sublime, as the artist does not merely explore observable reality but also reveals the depths, uncertainties, and subjective truths of the human soul.

For this reason, I regard Istvan Sandorfi not only as a virtuoso of craftsmanship, but as an artist who, through the meeting of realism and imagination, created a unique and timeless world. His works simultaneously reflect authentic visual reality and the personal inner universe of the seeing artist.

The art of Sandorfi is also highly relevant to me today because it demonstrates why AI cannot replace the human role: while it may be possible to create a “perfect” work at Sandorfi’s technical level, the intentional imperfections guided by chance or emotion, and the feelings embedded in the image, are impossible to replicate—or if they are, the result is no longer a sincere creation but kitsch.

During his lifetime, Sandorfi was a true star: his paintings sold for high sums internationally, even straight from the easel.His works are still loved by many today; on my Horn_collection Instagram page, the most popular images are always Sandorfi’s works. This current exhibition is a tribute to a brilliant, Hungarian-born artist and extraordinary individual who has been somewhat unjustly forgotten." - Peter Horn