Race to preserve post-war altarpiece

August 15 2022

Image of Race to preserve post-war altarpiece

Pictures: Guardian

Efforts to save an altarpiece by the Hungarian artist George Mayer-Marton have been boosted by the decision to grant it listed status. The Crucifixion was painted in Oldham 1955 by Mayer-Martin, a jewish refugee who had fled the Nazis in 1938. Bizarrely, it was partly painted over by a priest in the 1990s, in magnolia emulsion (image above). And recently, it has been vandalised, because the church is no longer in use. The campaign to save the artwork is being led by the artist's great nephew, Nick Braithwaite. I hope he succeeds, it looks like a fantastically important work. More on the listing decision here. More on Mayer-Marton's life from Apollo here. And a selection of his works here.

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