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 HMA MPDC 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 HMA MPDC also purchased twenty books in which we can discover the signatures of Breuer’s friends, colleagues, and admirers. Finally, our institution also acquired the copyrights of one hundred from the thousands of photographs taken by Tamas Breuer of the house and the Breuer family.
The other group of objects was added to our 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.
On October 13 and 14, 2025, during Design Week, the HMA MPDC 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 our institution’s funder, the Hungarian Academy of Arts, was the first to speak at the press conference held on October 13. 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.” At the same time, he 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.”
On October 13 and 14 at 5 p.m., the professional and the general public were able to view a selection of the acquired objects at the Walter Rózsi Villa. Ágnes Anna Sebestyén, chief curator of the HMA MPDC, who professionally coordinated the acquisition of the Breuer objects and visited Wellfleet multiple times in 2025, gave two sold-out lectures on the history of the material.
The objects will next be on display at the Walter Rózsi Villa’s Brutalism exhibition next year.
Our institution would like to thank the following individuals and institutions for the successful acquisition:
Our institution’s funder, the Hungarian Academy of Arts for providing the financial means to purchase the artworks.
Peter McMahon, the founding director of the Cape Cod Modern House Trust for his openness and for the realization of the purchase of the objects from Breuer’s Wellfleet cottage.
Tas Tóbiás, the author of Offbeat Budapest & Vienna, who first suggested the idea of the purchase and who connected our institution with the Cape Cod Modern House Trust.
Mihály Szarvasy, Hungarian-born, New York-based art collector, who deposited Breuer-related objects from the estate of Breuer’s former partner, Hamilton Smith, in our institution.
Ágnes Anna Sebestyén, chief curator, who professionally coordinated the two acquisitions. She maintained contact with Peter McMahon and Mihály Szarvasy, and she personally acted as an expert at each location. In connection with the acquisition, she wrote a book about the museum’s Breuer collection, which will be published by HMA MPDC in early 2026.
To Dr. Kitti Nagy, head of legal matters, and Adrienn Rácz, head of Administration, for their work in the legal and administrative management of the acquisition.
To Maurice Ward Ltd. for the shipping.
Ágnes Anna Sebestyén
