All of us are curious what neighbours, foreigners are saying about us, our house, our country. All of us, even Hungarians.
Having taken into account the possible sources for drawing a picture of the country besides the works of Hungarian photographers, the Hungarian Museum of Photography came to the conclusion that during the 164 years’ history of photography not even an attempt has been made to collect what those more or less recognized photographers who spent some time in Hungary, have seen, taken and shown about us. This realization was followed by a research a year and a half ago. What we have found is far beyond what we had expected. Lots of photographers have worked here, pictures taken in Hungary can be found among others in the oeuvre of Henri Cartier-Bresson, Werner Bischof, Josef Koudelka, Sarah Moon. The exhibition in the museum and at the same time on the internet as well as a CD-ROM by the Hungarian Museum of Photography is presenting the achievements of the first phase of this research. This is just the beginning. With the help of years-long work, the extended relations of the museum as well as our friends living in different parts of the world we are seeking for pictures and data related to Hungary in any way, in every available place, archive, at living authors, bequests. We aim to establish a special collection of Hungary-related photography, which reqiures plenty of time and help.