The first exhibition in the series is already open. It presents a re-curated selection from the JPM Vasarely Museum’s half-century-old collection and runs until 22 March. Rather than being shown in the usual location, the works are currently on display about 200 metres away at the JPM Modern Hungarian Gallery.

Visitors can also see pieces from the museum’s several-hundred-strong collection that have not previously appeared in the permanent exhibition — and are not expected to be shown there in the future.

According to the organisers, the jubilee season is intended not only as a retrospective, but also as a statement about the future role of visual culture. In this spirit, the renovated JPM Vasarely Museum is set to reopen on 9 April, Vasarely’s birthday.

The reopening will be followed by the inauguration of Vasarely Square and an exhibition dedicated to Claire Vasarely, the artist’s wife, at the JPM Museum Gallery.

A major contemporary exhibition at the m21 Gallery in the Zsolnay Cultural Quarter will look at how the legacy of op art continues in 21st-century visual and light art. Summer events will include a picnic marking the Vasarely Museum’s 50th anniversary, along with special programmes connected to the nationwide Night of Museums.

Vasarely’s influence will also be visible beyond museum walls. This year’s Zsolnay Light Festival will centre on a Vasarely theme, while an autumn exhibition titled “Early Vasarely” will draw on the collection of the Vasarely Museum in Budapest to highlight an earlier phase of his work.

The season will conclude with a series of Vasarely-focused events organised by DesignPécs, exploring links between contemporary design and visual culture.

Vasarely, often regarded as Hungary’s most internationally recognised visual artist, left a mark far beyond traditional gallery spaces. His works and visual language appear in public spaces, on buildings, in logos, on album covers and in film. The combination of visual experimentation, mathematical structure and creativity that defines his op art continues to resonate today.

The aim of the citywide season is not only to commemorate Vasarely’s legacy in 2026, but also to show how an oeuvre connected to Pécs became part of global visual culture in a way that still feels relevant.

Further details about the jubilee season are available at jpm.hu.
 

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