“The prototype architectural model of the Hungarian pavilion for the Seville world’s fair, which is a 1:50 scale copy of the original, is being prepared at the Szolnok workshop of István Danka. More precisely, this is actually the second model of it, since the first was shipped to Barcelona for an exhibition after it was completed. (…) The Hungarian pavilion neighbors the pavilions of Austria and the Vatican. The materials for it are essentially only wood and glass, which is considered quite unique in Spain, and so many are marveling at it already.”
This is how the Szolnok Megyei Új Néplap (Szolnok County New People’s Newspaper) wrote in September of 1991 about the Hungarian pavilion being built for the world’s fair to be held in Seville in 1992. The architect Imre Makovecz was given the commission to design the Hungarian house for the EXPO in 1990, which was then opened thirty years ago, on the 20th of April 1992.
István Danka (1951-2016), who made the model based on the designs, was a photographer and colleague of the architect. His model reflects Makovecz’s conception both in its materials and in its structure. The pavilion shows an upper and a lower world, between which is a tree of life with visible roots, divided in two by a glass floor. One of Makovecz’s means of creating a connection between the sky and the earth was wood, which was not just a building material, but the tree was also a symbolic decorative element used in his buildings. The volume of the building, which was reminiscent of a hill or an inverted ship’s hull was divided into two halves by a row of seven towers, with the seventh tower serving as the entrance.
It comes to light from the contemporary articles and remembrances that two models were made of the pavilion prior to the completion of the construction, and both show the building’s structural framing. Due to the visible structure – the pavilion itself was clad in dark gray slate and the exterior walls were white plaster – the model has an entirely different character than the completed building. The design concept is visible at first glance, which remained somewhat hidden in the exterior appearance of the completed work. The contemporary model of the Hungarian pavilion for Seville did not only serve as a means for representation, the working models also served to detect possible problems as a part of the design process. It is not known for certain which one of the two models has made its way to the Museum Department of the HMA MPDC. Presumably, this is the one that was completed earlier and shipped to Barcelona. The piece came to the collection in a damaged condition, so it was carefully restored and missing pieces were replaced.
This prominent work from the model collection of the HMA MPDC’s Museum Department can be seen alongside other items and photographs from our collections in a temporary exhibition at the Hungarian National Museum entitled Hungarians at the World’s Fair starting on the 13th of December 2022.
Fanni Izabella Magyaróvári
Photographs: Zsófia Nyirkos
