September 17, 2008

Art for the Cure – U.S. Chief of Protocol Brinker Champions Hungarian Art in Phoenix, Arizona

Former U.S. Ambassador to Hungary and current U.S. Chief of Protocol Nancy G. Brinker and her son Eric Brinker opened an exhibit of Hungarian art from Ms. Brinker's private collection in the Phoenix Art Museum in Phoenix, AZ, on September 13, 2008.

Ambassador and Mrs. Somogyi with Ambassador Brinker (in middle)

The exhibit entitled “Hungarian Modernism from the Nancy G. Brinker Collection - Works of Passion, Interludes, and Progress" features works by Tibor Szőnyi, Róbert Berényi, László Moholy-Nagy, János Vaszary, Béla Uitz, Lajos Vajda, Vilmos Aba-Novák, Sándor Bortnyik, László Fehér, Béla Kádár and Jenő Gábor, among others. Remarks were offered by Kevin Speirits, CFO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, while Denise McClain delivered closing words. Attending the grand weekend of events called "Art for the Cure" were Hungarian Ambassador Ferenc Somogyi and Mrs. Andrea Bors Somogyi, Consul General for Hungary in Los Angeles, Balázs Bokor, Hungary’s Honorary Consul in Texas, Mr. Phillip Aronoff and Mrs. Aronoff, Kathy and Leslie Megyeri of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America, and notables and ambassadors from other nations.

Ambassador and Mrs. Somogyi with Croatian Ambassador Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic (second from right) and art collector Jill A. Wiltse (left)

In his greetings, Ambassador Somogyi emphasized that Ambassador Brinker is a most remarkable woman because even after her tenure as Ambassador, she still promotes Hungarian artistic talent and brings their work to new audiences throughout the world.  He concluded, "On behalf of ten million Hungarians, we express our gratitude and have made her an honorary lifetime Hungarian."

Chief of Protocol Brinker and Ambassador Somogyi at the opening of the exhibit

The private dinner and tour by Ambassador Brinker was attended by the local media, professional art collectors from Los Angeles, New York, and Europe, and supporters and staff of the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Kathy Megyeri contributed to this article.