Abstract. The current study deals with art collectors in Timişoara during the interwar period, documenting the Museum of Banat’s acquisitions policy between the BETWEEN THE VISIBLE 1950s and the 1960s, during the period of AND THE INVISIBLE: dissolution of the collections assembled ART COLLECTING IN THE INTERWAR between the two World Wars and the dispersal of cultural goods of artistic value CITY OF TIMIŞOARA, ROMANIA created by artists within the Moritz and Bianka Schönberger’s family circle: painters Oskar Szuhanek, Albert Varga, Albert Krausz, sculptors Géza Rubletzky, Ferdinand Gallas and graphic artists Julius Podlipny, Nándor Kóra Korber. Keywords: Timişoara collectors; interwar; physician Moritz Schőnberger; sculptor Marius Cornea Ferdinand Gallas. To the Professor Virgil Feier, The Art Museum of Timişoara is the dermatologist and art collector institution that has preserved the memory of collectors from the historical Banat, a Ormós's collection is clearly described region from the today western Romania, by in the catalogue published in 1888: 153 works of art acquired or donated when the paintings from the 15th to the 19th century, Historical and Archaeological Society of 36 water colours, 41 portrait miniatures Banat was founded in 1872 in the city from the 18th and 19th centuries, 48 drawings, of Timişoara, then one of the cities within 112 engravings, 49 porcelain items, the Austro-Hungarian Empire or the 26 metal works, 8 glass items, 9 tapestry Donaumonarchie. By means of the bequest works, 200 photographs, 80 books and art from September 18, 1895, the works of art albums, each item being published together in Zsigmond Ormós’s collection (Pecica, with an analytical, record index card, February 20, 1813 - Budapest, November summing up a total of 598 catalogue 17, 1894), were inducted into the heritage numbers, with an author, subject, of this society, constituting the core of the technique, size, origin, biographical data of current European painting and graphic art the artist and stylistic considerations. In the collection (15th-20th centuries) and of the art foreword of the catalogue, Ormós collection of the region Banat. Prefect of mentioned the fact that he had used, as a the Timiş County in the second half of the manner of writing, the catalogue of Count 19th century, art collector and historian, Adolf Friedrich Schack's collection (1815 – Zsigmond Ormós brought a remarkable 1894) from Munich, also underlining the contribution to the field of museology in main moments of his intellectual the region of Banat by publishing the biography. Studying the catalogue of the catalogue of his art collection in 1874 (the 1888 collection, we may find that Ormós second revised and enlarged edition of published 53 Italian paintings, which had 1888)1 and founding the Historical and been purchased starting with the year 1857 Archaeological Society of Banat, as well as from Venice from the Feretti collections, by obtaining a building to host the museum Martinengo, Da Mosto, Lorenzi and in Timişoara. Montini, from Florence from Agostino REV. ROUM. HIST. ART, Série BEAUX-ARTS, TOME LIII, P. 111–127, BUCAREST, 2016 111 Tempesti, academic artist and restorer and scenes, historical themes and allegories. from the antique shops in Venice, Florence, Also, Ormós's collection included paintings Rome and Naples, Cologne, Munich, from attributed to Flemish and Dutch schools, the Egger brothers in Vienna and from the German and Austrian, Hungarian and art auctions in Budapest. First hand French from the 15th to 19th centuries, paintings, copies after great masters and together with copies executed after questioned paternity or with an unidentified Rembrandt van Rijn, Pieter Paul Rubens author are published in the catalogues of and Anthon van Dyck's paintings and the collection written by Ormós in drawings attributed to Cornelius Bloemaert, Timişoara in 1874 and 1888 – Italian, Jacques Callot, Dominique Nollet and Flemish and Dutch, German and Austrian, Johann Kupetzky. Hungarian and Banat paintings. The most The organizing of the temporary mentioned artistic painting centre in the exhibition Collections within the art 1888 catalogue is Venice with paintings collection of the Museum of Banat in attributed to Giovanni Bellini, Cima da Timişoara and the publication of the Conegliano, Giorgione and Titian, Gregorio exhibition’s catalogue in 2001 have marked Lazzarini, Giovanni Battista Piazzetta, a stage in the field of research regarding the Domenico Maggiotto and Giovanni Battista art collections mainly assembled during the Pittoni. The Naples school is represented 19th century and during the interwar period by a highly prestigious name for the in Banat.2 Information regarding the owners 17th century: Luca Giordano, present with of cultural artifacts of artistic value in two paintings depicting scenes from the life Timişoara can be found in the catalogues of of Alexander the Great, and the Roman temporary exhibitions organized in school with paintings attributed to Pietro da Timişoara by the Museum of the region Cortona, Lazzaro Baldi, Carlo Maratta and Banat dedicated to artists who were active Pompeo Batoni. The Emilia school during the interwar period in the Western (Bologna) has been illustrated with the part of the current territory of Romania: paintings of Agostino Carracci, Guido Ferdinand Gallas (1965, 2003), Alexandru Reni, Francesco Gessi and Marcantonio Popp (1966), Ştefan Szönyi (1974), Aurel Franceschini, and the Florentine artistic Ciupe (1975), Corneliu Liuba (1980), Julius centre with the paintings of Andrea del Podlipny (1983, 1998). Sarto, Perugino and Cosimo Ulivelli. Also, copies after Rafael, Giorgione, Titian, In the Dicţionarul colecţionarilor de Paolo Veronese, Tintoretto, Correggio and artă din România (Dictionary of Art Guido Reni could be encountered in the Collectors in Romania), published in 2011, collection. Among the authors of the 249 art collections are recorded and 681 drawings, the most prestigious names persons mentioned in the bibliographic belonged to the Italian schools: Andrea sources with art works belonging to a single Mantegna, Tintoretto, Agostino Carracci, artist in the collection.3 Only eight owners Giovanni Battista Piazzetta and Giovanni of works of artistic value in Timişoara and Battista Tiepolo. In the catalogue, the one in Lugoj, two cities from the region paintings are ranked alphabetically after the Banat, are found on the list of the 681 artist's name. Studying the collection during collectors, and no art collections from the last century has led to the conclusion Banat are documented on card out of the that most of these attributions are 249 previously mentioned. In his erroneous. Ormós has obviously collected dictionary, Vasile Petrovici cites three according to his taste and for the delight of catalogues of exhibitions dedicated to his eyes, thus owning all types of paintings, Sándor Ziffer (1957)4, Ion Theodorescu- from religious and mythological themes to Sion (1971)5 and Aurel Ciupe (1980)6 along portraits, landscapes and still life, genre with the names of collectors Alexandru/ 112 Sándor and Ödön Borgida, Dr. Eugen In 1919, Julius Podlipny (Bratislava, Schuber (physician), Sim Sam Moldovan 1898 – Timişoara, 1991) came from Budapest (the author of the Monograph of the city of to visit his brother Jani imprisoned in the Oraviţa) and Martin Szász for Sándor city of Timişoara on the Bega river. On that Ziffer’s painting, physician Florin occasion he is recommended by his Atanasescu with paintings by Ion mother’s acquaintances in Budapest to live Theodorescu-Sion, and for Aurel Ciupe’s with the Nelovankovits family in the Fabric painting the lawyer Ionel Ciupe is district, on Tigrului Street (Tigerstrasse) mentioned (erroneously mentioned as a with the parents of the future writer József physician), as well as colonel Florea Branic Méliusz.9 Young Podlipny was impressed from Timişoara and physician Ion Mihoc with the bourgeois atmosphere in the from Lugoj.7 The collectors mentioned in Nelovankovits house, by the family’s the catalogue of the Ziffer exhibition in library and the circle of friends keen on art, 1957 belong to the circle of enthusiasts who literature and music, at the edge of the had put together art collections during the former Austro-Hungarian monarchy. An interwar period, along with the lawyer Ionel eloquent testimony to interwar Timişoara Ciupe, whereas collectors Atanasescu, and the cultural-linguistic communities in Branic and Mihoc had compiled their the city is preserved in the oral archives of collections after the Second World War. Fundaţia A Treia Europă (The Third If a map of Timişoara/Temesvár/ Europe Foundation),10 in the interview with Temeschburg were drawn, indicating the Professor Ervin Salló, a chemist, streets where the art lovers of the interwar descendant of the Ervin and Raimunda period lived, the Cetate and Fabric districts Beatrix Salló family in Timişoara, close would rank first. What is the connection friends of the artists during the period between these historical districts of the city analyzed in the current study: on the Bega river and the world of art? Who are the characters present on the scene `` (...) now let me tell you an anecdote, a very of cultural and artistic life? significant one. The year 1939-1940 marked the In the archives of the Museum of Banat beginning of the madness regarding ethnical origins. there was kept a report from 1968, And in the beginning things went smoothly and in a addressed to the central forum in Bucharest Balkan-like way. A two men brigade came from the and the regional ones in Timişoara municipality’s city hall with a huge card. And the regarding the institution’s acquisitions after two clerks established our ethnic origin. My mother the Second World War: the 1952 – 1967 has a German grandfather, a Hungarian grandfather, 8 a French and a Hanac grandmother. The Hanac interval . The document is of great value to people are similar to the Pems living near Bolomuz. those interested in the study of art Then they scratched their heads trying to figure out collections compiled in Timişoara during what to do, what to decide.