Created by Munk\u00e1csy Prize-winning sculptors B\u00e1lint J\u00f3zsa and Ferenc Kov\u00e1cs, the monumental marble relief was installed on the walls of the restaurant of the former R\u00e1ba Vehicle and Machine Factory in 1979. Inspired by the flow of the R\u00e1ba River, the work expressed the dynamism of the company while also representing an outstanding example of Hungarian abstract art of the 1970s. Its exceptional significance is further enhanced by the fact that the J\u00f3zsa\u2013Kov\u00e1cs artistic duo created only three reliefs of this scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The impending demolition of the restaurant building, which is still standing on the former factory site, has made saving the artwork an urgent priority. R\u00e1ba Automotive Holding Plc. has donated the relief to Sz\u00e9chenyi Istv\u00e1n University, where it could find a new home on the fa\u00e7ade of the University\u2019s Inno-Share building. The restoration and relocation could be carried out with the involvement of the Hungarian National Gallery\u2019s Advisory Board, the artists and an art historian. The entire process\u2014from dismantling and restoration through transportation to reconstruction\u2014is estimated to require an investment of approximately HUF 22 million. To help achieve this, the University has launched a fundraising campaign together with its key partner, the Gy\u0151r-Moson-Sopron County Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Chamber is making a significant contribution to this heritage-preservation initiative by mobilising businesses across the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The stone relief could be installed beneath the arcade of Sz\u00e9chenyi Istv\u00e1n University\u2019s Inno-Share building. (Visualisation)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEight years ago, I encountered the artwork Flow while visiting the former R\u00e1ba self-service restaurant. I was struck by its grandeur and emotional power, yet saddened by the neglect it had suffered, which inspired me to work towards saving it. I first sought out the artists\u2019 families and eventually managed to establish contact with B\u00e1lint J\u00f3zsa, who enthusiastically helped develop the idea. We talked extensively about the work and its renewal. I also made a documentary report with him about the origins of the artwork, entitled Waves, which I warmly recommend to everyone, as the relief is one of the outstanding precursors of Hungarian non-figurative sculpture,\u201d<\/em> said Zsuzsanna Nagy, the initiator and professional coordinator of the campaign, an architect and interior designer and lecturer at the University\u2019s Faculty of Design and Performance Arts. She noted that B\u00e1lint J\u00f3zsa also passed away in March this year, making the restoration an opportunity to pay tribute to the memory of both Munk\u00e1csy Prize-winning sculptors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She added that, from an architectural perspective, she believes it is essential to preserve as much of our heritage as possible for future generations. \u201cThis is why Sz\u00e9chenyi Istv\u00e1n University\u2019s involvement is so important: it demonstrates what we can achieve for our culture when we work together. As educators, we also have an important responsibility to set a positive example for our students, who will be able to encounter the results of this heritage-preservation effort on a daily basis in the future,\u201d<\/em> she emphasised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zsuzsanna Nagy, architect and interior designer, lecturer at SZE\u2019s Faculty of Design and Performance Arts, and initiator of the campaign. (Photo: Andr\u00e1s Adorj\u00e1n)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Zsuzsanna Nagy believes that the stone relief would thus be placed in an appropriate intellectual and cultural environment, while also becoming accessible and visible to the wider public. She also pointed out that works of art are often demolished together with the buildings that house them, making the success of this initiative a unique example in Hungary. \u201cI would like to thank everyone who joins this worthy cause and contributes to saving a piece of our outstanding artistic heritage,\u201d<\/em> she stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The artwork consists of 95 marble panels, which can also be symbolically adopted. The contribution required to adopt one marble panel is HUF 230,000; however, donations of smaller amounts are also warmly welcomed in support of saving the relief. Depending on the amount of their contribution, donors may have their names displayed on a commemorative plaque beside the artwork. The Universitas Gy\u0151r Foundation is responsible for administering the donations. Those wishing to make a contribution are invited to indicate their intention by 31 August<\/strong> via alapitvany@sze.hu<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The initiators hope that, through the joint efforts of the community of Gy\u0151r and the surrounding region, one of the outstanding works of the city\u2019s industrial and artistic heritage can be preserved and passed on to future generations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Created: 2026.08.18. 10:35 Sz\u00e9chenyi Istv\u00e1n University has launched a community initiative to save the monumental stone relief entitled Flow, located in the former R\u00e1ba Restaurant on the site of the former …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":10512,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/alumni.sze.hu\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-24-1024x683.png\")
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