Bodrogi Tibor és a törzsi művészet – a magyar művészetetnológia öröksége
Tibor Bodrogi and the tribal art – the Legacy of Hungarian ethnology of art

Summary/Abstract: Tibor Bodrogi (1924–1986) was a leading figure in the study of art in both Hungary and interna tional ethnological circles. Due to the political isolation and Cold War restrictions of the post-World War II years, he turned his attention to the Museum of Ethnography’s unprocessed ethnological collections rather than undertaking long anthropological fieldwork. In contrast to the earlier evolutionary and technological perspectives, he began to interpret these exotic objects as autonomous works of art. A key foundation for his research was the collection of Giovanni Bettanin, a private collector of Italian origin, whose objects were purchased in 1897 by the museum. Although this collection lacked ethnographic data, its outstanding aesthetic value made it perfectly suited to Bodrogi’s new approach. Through his pioneering art-ethnology exhibitions, as well as his papers and books in this subject, Bodrogi introduced the concept of “tribal art” into the Hungarian discourse and integrated the museum into the international anthropological community for many decades, as well.

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