There is a multitude of treasures on display within the Great Synagogue of Budapest. Silver, bronze, bejeweled objects, beautifully detailed menorahs, delicate Torahs, all lovingly displayed....not to mention the synagogue itself which is among the most beautiful buildings in all of Europe.
The museum inside the synagogue is small and unassuming. It would be easy to enter, spend half an hour enjoying the ornate religious objects wrought from metal, wood, and stone, and leave with a head full of bright and shiny memories. Good enough? No, absolutely not.
It's worth the time and minimal effort to climb that last flight of stairs in the museum. For modern art lovers, the real treasure awaits. A small collection of cubist/expressionist works is on display up there, the art of one Lajos Csabai Ekés.
I did my best googling to find out more about this artist and found no biographies available. Csabai was born in Budapest in 1898 and was a well known movie poster artist. He died in 1944 in the city of his birth, beaten to death by Hungarian Nazis, known for despising and demonizing the best and brightest of Hungarian Jews. His legacy is a body of emotional and colorful work. Cut down before his time, the art he left behind continues to bring joy to the hearts and minds of art lovers world wide. Rest in peace, Csabai, and thank you so much.
self portrait
