The archives of Lajos Kassák, including artworks, manuscripts and publications came to the Petőfi Literary Museum – Kassák Museum as a courtesy of Mrs. Lajos Kassák née Klára Kárpáti in 1975. The collection was transferred to the museum and processed in several installments between 1975 and 1986. The archives of Lajos Kassák and his second wife consists of approximately 1 700 works of fine art (including paintings, works on paper and sculptures, made by Kassák and other artists) 17 000 pieces of correspondence and manuscripts, 3 000 photographs, 4 000 books, periodicals and prints, and 200 relics.
Alongside Lajos Kassák’s artistic legacy, the Kassák Museum also holds significant related archival material: Kassák’s correspondence, manuscripts, photos and private library. The correspondence and manuscripts, which date from the early 20th century until the end of the 1970s, provide insights into Kassák’s personal life, career, relationships, and the work of the Kassák-circle, as well as the international networks and cultural milieu within which Hungarian avant-garde artists worked. The primary sources and documents in our care offer unique resources for research into the reception of the Hungarian avant-garde. The correspondence and analects are supplemented by rich photographic materials (portraits, group pictures, event pictures, and photos of art objects and exhibitions), as well as manuscripts (drafts of poems and novels), and documents relating to Kassák’s various periodicals.
