Almost six million forints worth of artworks were sold at the PTE Auction on 9 December at the Kodály Centre

"The Faculty of Music and Visual Arts is the jewel of the University of Pécs" - stressed Dr. József Bódis, President of UQA, who is also the initiator of the PTE Auction 2022 programme. Prof. Bódis welcomed the numerous visitors and thanked the Faculty of Arts for their work, and especially highlighted the work of Vilma Both in organizing the auction.
 

Péter Lengyel, the Dean of the Faculty of Music and Visual Arts of the University of Pécs, briefly welcomed the audience as the event, which is unique in the practice of Hungarian higher education, began.

"Bidding is possible with registered reels, but if you are passionate and enthusiastic, you can also indicate your bid by hand" - explained Nóra Winkler, the auction's manager, the rules to the audience. There were several examples of this during the evening, as well as of a fiery bidding war over a single work of art, with people struggling to keep up.

The story behind the creation of some of the works was also revealed: "They are always, without exception, personal stories, and these, together with the technical knowledge, the 'making', give pleasure not only to the one who created the work, but also to the one who beholds it."

Nóra Winkler added: "I will say the final amount, but I have a whole army working behind me, for weeks, or rather months!" She said, "What makes this auction different from all the others is that although contemporary works are selling at heartwarming prices across the country, most of the 20-25% of the sale price will be for auction houses.Today, here in Pécs, the auction is supporting the work of the Faculty of Music and Visual Arts, but it also has an international impact.

It is not only the mindset in which the works were born that determines the future of this tradition, but also tonight."

By the end of the evening, bidders had spent almost six million forints on the works of art.

"I consider this an absolute success, but not because of the HUF, I consider it much more important that only a few of the 41 works did not sell, which means that a good 80% of the works were appreciated by the art-loving public, and they can imagine the given work in their house or office. That's fantastic!" said Péter Lengyel, Dean of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Pécs, summing up the event:

"It is good that we were able to show ourselves, and it is also important that the cultural life of Pécs has been enriched with another programme. Organising an art auction in the countryside is not easy, as this area is also Budapest-centric. The PTE is not an auction house, but the programme shows what can be achieved within an educational institution."

The students watched as the bids for their own and their peers' work unfolded, and the room was buzzing with excitement. Some even got to meet the winner of the bidding war who would take their work home.

Péter Lengyel said, "Obviously, it is also possible to make personal contacts, as young talented artists have been published here, and it is also the task of the faculty to bring our students together with those who are interested in their works. Our plan, partly because of the auction, is to create a collection of works by graduate students, which will preserve the works in a professionally organized way, including all the important details, such as which works were made when and where. This is also important because we may be able to bring works from 10-20 years ago to the auction, and some of our students, as we found out during the organisation of this year's event, are living and working abroad and have started to build an international career. Collections can help to maintain these links for decades to come."

More to come!

The next auction is planned for next year at the same time as the university concert,

This will allow the two events to take place at the same time and in the same space, in dignified and suitable conditions," added Péter Lengyel.