Minister for Human Resources Zoltán Balog handed over on Friday in Budapest scholarships of the Hungarian Academy in Rome to seven Hungarian visual artists.
Mr Balog said at the ceremony that the scholarships are a gesture towards the community of visual artists and the government’s aim is to support them in a way which both enhances the reputation of their creations and allows the artists to widen their own horizon. He added that Rome is a prime source of visual arts and has provided many Hungarian artists with inspiration.
The scholarships of the Hungarian Academy in Rome have been re-established by Mr Balog in order to maintain a great tradition. The total amount of the scholarship is five million forints (EUR 16,500) a year, it comes from a separate ministerial budget of the National Cultural Fund and it can be distributed among a maximum eight artists.
This year’s tender was announced on January 17 and open to professional visual artists (painters, graphic artists, sculptors and videographers) who did not receive state scholarship or creative support. 29 artists applied before the February 17 deadline and the applications have been assessed by a professional committee.
This year’s scholarships went to Zsófia Barabás, János Gábor Barta, Márta Krámli, Zsuzsa Moizer, Márta Nyilas, Katalin Székelyi and Árpád Tóth. The scholarship will allow these artists to spend a month in Rome to make professional acquaintances with the heads of galleries, collections and museums and also gather professional experiences.
(Ministry of Human Resources)
