Mária Goszthony and the "Fiorenza Workshop" - permanent exhibition

On June 7, 2025, our new permanent ceramics exhibition opened in the vaulted cellar beneath the mansion. Mária Goszthony (1893-1989) was a painter and ceramist born in Bárdibükk (now Bárdudvarnok) in Somogy County into a wealthy family of lawyers. She received an excellent education and developed an interest in the arts at an early age, traveling around Europe with her mother when she was still young. She studied painting in Munich, Budapest, and Rome, among other places. His teachers at the Free School of Fine Arts in Budapest were Károly Kernstok, József Rippl-Rónai, and Márk Vedres. After the Hungarian Soviet Republic, he had to leave Hungary because of his political involvement.
He regularly spent his summers in Rome with his girlfriend, Ida Josipovich. Both of them were deeply interested in painting and ceramics. In 1936, they established their workshop and began producing ceramics under the brand name "Fiorenza." Until World War II, they lived alternately in Hungary and Rome, but during the war they moved back home permanently and named their workshop "Fiorenza" as well. Initially, they were greatly influenced by classic Italian design, but later they created their own unique style of form and decoration based on Haban and Hungarian folk pottery, and had their ceramics made by potters in Somogy County. In 1942, Mária's cousin, Sára Goszthony, joined them as the third member of the team.
The exhibition features a large number of decorative ceramics, but the main focus is on tableware. These objects are made special by their brightly colored decorative elements, primarily a variety of plant motifs. One group of ceramics is the so-called "sunflower" set, several variations of which can be seen among the pieces on display.

The concept for the exhibition and the exhibition panels were designed by Ferenc Matucza, graphic designer at the Rippl-Rónai Museum in Kaposvár.

During the design process, special attention was paid to accessibility, which is why a stair lift helps visitors with limited mobility to access the cellar.

The aim of the exhibition is to provide the general public with an insight into the work of the artist and her two companions, thereby contributing to the preservation of the memory of Mária Goszthony and her circle.