Space, artistry and the devine: Agnes Toth talks art, life... and purses
When I first noticed Agnes Toth’s shop, it was only because we were admiring the perfectly appointed Marvelosa Restaurant next door. We then saw handbag shop, and the two appeared to be connected. Sure enough, the café and eatery is run by Agnes’ mother. There is a picturesque Airbnb above it as well, I found out. At the base of Budapest’s Castle District and overlooking Chain Bridge, you couldn’t ask for a better location. The building is also one of the most beautifully restored buildings in Budapest.
Agnes’ shop looked like your basic purse shop at first, albeit not so basic. The designs gave off a Pierre Deux vibe, although all of her purses are made from vegan leather. However, upon walking in, you were struck by the paintings around you on the walls. There is even a little loft above the entryway where a work still in progress stands on an easel. The woman sitting behind the counter was none other than Agnes Toth herself, and a conversation ensued. There is nothing better than an owner on the ground, ready to engage with people. I soon learned that this was quite literally a studio, combining, as her site says, art and fashion.
Agnes is first and foremost an artist. Her background is extensive, having studied graphic and textile design in Budapest, followed by a teaching diploma from Hungary’s Academy of Fine Arts and an MA in fine art painting from the same school. She then headed off to the UK for an MA in contemporary fine art from Falmouth University. Her CV lists a plethora of residencies and exhibits (see CV below). Out of all her pieces, it is her “fragmented” works that I find most fascinating. On these, a quote from her MA thesis reads:
Agnes is first and foremost an artist. Her background is extensive, having studied graphic and textile design in Budapest, followed by a teaching diploma from Hungary’s Academy of Fine Arts and an MA in fine art painting from the same school. She then headed off to the UK for an MA in contemporary fine art from Falmouth University. Her CV lists a plethora of residencies and exhibits (see CV below). Out of all her pieces, it is her “fragmented” works that I find most fascinating. On these, a quote from her MA thesis reads:
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The pieces were seemingly left unfinished and yet give off an invigorating feeling of potential and completeness, a sort of wholeness in their sparingness. Agnes says she was influenced by Sartre and Merleau-Ponty’s existentialist writings on nothingness. “What matters, what doesn’t; what you keep, what you leave behind, what you lose. You can’t have it all, there is simply not enough time for everything,” she tells me.
However, she also emphasizes the freedom of expression and composition that comes with these works. With fragmentation, there is this sense of possibility. You do not have to finish the painting from one corner to the other; there is no such constraint. You can also play with layers, giving you a freedom you otherwise would not have. The negative space is not meant to be filled in.
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The same is true with her collage work, Agnes continues. “There are no restrictions in space, content, scale... It is like writing poems, where you can create images with contradictory words, juxtapositions of ideas and images." "You are creating a certain atmosphere or illusion; it is a very intuitive process.”Agnes’ collages, made from photos she takes herself and bits of her paintings, were recognized when she received a commission in 2019 to create works for 110 rooms in the 5-star Párisi Udvar Hotel, a member of Hyatt’s Unbound Collection. In the images you can see a focus on the famous Hungarian porcelain maker, Zsolnay, whose tiles feature largely in the hotel itself. |
By that time, Agnes’ studio, featuring primarily handbags for sale, had been open for a couple of years. All her purses are designed and made locally. Each piece undergoes a meticulous process from concept to completion. As you look around the handbags behind the glass, the tiny store looks almost like a jewel box.
Some of her collage works and frapgmented paintings have been utilized as designs for her purses as well. There are also pillows here and there, even a tabletop, featuring her paintings.
This is not all “artistry.” Agnes is a savvy businesswoman as well, and her business, like her mother’s café next door, has been a labor of love as well as diligent acumen. Nothing proved that better than when Agnes had to pivot during the pandemic. Nobody could have predicted Covid, nor the toll it took. With tourism essentially hitting a wall, many had to retrench and either shut down or find a way to navigate through. Agnes did the latter. Taking her skills in an entirely new direction, she applied for and won a sizeable EU Grant for Innovation in Design & Fashion, using the funds for the “technical development and innovation in heritage and modern uses of folklore.” What does that mean? Agnes purchased equipment for computer-aided designs and printing of her pieces to make the production process simpler and faster. All in the name of helping Hungary pursue the preservation of its cultural heritage. She kept her studio alive, learned new skills, and streamlined her operation. Smart.
Agnes asked me if I really wanted to mention or focus on this grant at all. Here’s why I found it so important. Artists can have a hard time, even those who have managed to set up a successful business. Being able to be resourceful and adapt when difficulty strikes are great skills to have. And I admire any artist who is able to adopt and implement these.
Still, art is clearly where her heart is. Reflecting back on her painting, she says: “I think in painting you should seek to paint something more divine, to be closer to God, something that takes you out of the everyday.”
Still, art is clearly where her heart is. Reflecting back on her painting, she says: “I think in painting you should seek to paint something more divine, to be closer to God, something that takes you out of the everyday.”
“I think in painting you should seek to paint something more divine, to be closer to God, something that takes you out of the everyday.”
She clearly misses this endeavor.
Glancing back up at her easel in the loft, she bemoans not having the time to finish that piece. She started it years ago, but running a business is time-consuming, and there are always other priorities. And now, she is buried in a new project involving hand embroidery. As she tells me this, I notice a massive poster photo of women weaving. It appears to be from some village long ago. I assume it is simply there to give a bit of color on Hungary’s rich heritage in folk art and women’s role in it. But no. That is her great-grandmother on the far right, still unmarried, thus no headdress. These girls from the Maconka in Nógrád County are wearing traditional garments of their region and are busy weaving cloth, a painstaking process.
Glancing back up at her easel in the loft, she bemoans not having the time to finish that piece. She started it years ago, but running a business is time-consuming, and there are always other priorities. And now, she is buried in a new project involving hand embroidery. As she tells me this, I notice a massive poster photo of women weaving. It appears to be from some village long ago. I assume it is simply there to give a bit of color on Hungary’s rich heritage in folk art and women’s role in it. But no. That is her great-grandmother on the far right, still unmarried, thus no headdress. These girls from the Maconka in Nógrád County are wearing traditional garments of their region and are busy weaving cloth, a painstaking process.
One research project she did in school was on slow processes, like gardening, another passion of hers. “When you grab a tomato at the supermarket, you do not see the time it took to develop from a seed.” This is what Agnes treasures about her work in painting. “It is not completed in a day, it is a journey, and you are learning throughout.” |
Agnes TOTH
Born in 1981 Contact [email protected] [email protected] tel. 07898371099 address. TR11 4DL Cornwall website. www.agnestoth.eu | www.agnestothstudio.com Education 2008 | 2010 Falmouth University - United Kingdom . Falmouth MA Fine Art Contemporary Practice 2000 | 2005 Academy of Fine Arts - Hungary . Budapest Diploma in Painting - MA Fine Art 2002 | 2005 Academy of Fine Arts - Hungary . Budapest Diploma in Education – Teaching Qualification specialised in Visual Arts Education 1996 | 2000 Secondary School of Fine and Applied Arts . Budapest Textile Design 1996 | 2000 Secondary School of Fine and Applied Arts . Budapest Graphic Design |
Professional Experience | Projects | Other Work & Commissions
2022 Awarded an EU Grant for Innovation in Design & Fashion
The Studio was awarded a Grant of £105000 for technical development & innovation in heritage and modern uses of folklore.
2017 Established a design studio called ’Agnes Toth Studio’ till present
www.agnestothstudio.com manufacturing artisan sustainable goods in small quantites
2019 Graphic Design Commission by Hyatt the Unbound Collection – Site Specific Collages
Design of digital collages created for the 110 rooms of the 5 star unique hotel.
2017 Dan Pearson Gardens - Little Sparta, Dartmouth; Old Rectory, Cotswolds
Research work at Dan Pearson English Garden Designer's gardens for compositions in
perennial gardening. Related to my interest in Horticulture.
2015 Little Sparta Trust Commission - Hommage to Ian Hamilton Finlay
Commission to paint two paintings as an hommage to Scottish sculptor Ian Hamilton Finlay, the paintings were exhibited together with Finlay's work in Beirut, Lebanon at the Sfeir-Semler Gallery.
2017 Bateux Lavoir Studio – DAC Atelier Artiste Candidature – Montmartre, Paris
An Art Residency supported by the Ambassador of France Mr Éric Fournier
2014 Tall Ship Regatta - Falmouth - Royal Greenwhich
Crowdfunded research to join a crew on a tall ship regatta to sail from Falmouth, UK to the Royal Greenwhich in London in 8 days.
2012 Lazerian Design - Lazerian Gerald Project - Manchester
100 artists at New York and London at the Southbank Centre.
2012 CAMAC. Centre D’Art. Marnay sur Seine - France
Artist residency participation, selected by the jury at CAMAC.
2009 Residency in the National Gallery - London
2009 Residency in Tate Britain - London
4 months residency in London, parallel to my MA Fine Art degree in Cornwall.
2009 The Falmouth Convention - Falmouth - UK
2009 The Cornish Film Festival - Cornwall
Voluntary participation at the Film and Art Festival's in Cornwall, that was organised by the Head of the MA Curatorial Practice, Dr. Virginia Button, senior curator of Tate
Modern and Tate Britain in 1991-2001
2001 Studio of Csernus Tibor & Istvan Sandorfi - Paris - France
2002 Glasgow School of Art - Scotland - Glasgow
Exchange Programme
2003 Academy of Fine Arts - Nuernberg - Germany
Exchange Programme
Solo Exhibitions
2012
Stephan Stumpf Gallery - Munich - Germany
2011
Galeria Gagliardi - San Gimigniano - Italy
Circulo de Arte de Toledo - Toledo - Spain
2005
St.Art Gallery - Budapest . Hungary
Group Exhibitions
2016
Heitsch Galerie - New Masters - Germany - Munich
2015
Florence Biennale X. Edition - Fortezza da Basso - Florence - Italy
Benetton Foundation Imago Mundi - La Fondazione Giorgio Cini - Venice
2014
Sfeir-Semler Gallery - with Ian Hamilton Finlay - Beirut - Lebanon
BP Portrait Award - Wolverhampton Art Gallery - Wolverhampton
2013
BP Portrait Award - Aberdeen Art Gallery - Aberdeen
London Design Festival - Southbank Centre - London
BP Portrait Award - National Portrait Gallery - London
New York Design Week - Lazerian Gerald - New York
2012
Zabludowicz Collection - Jack Goldhill Painting Prize - London
Stephan Stumpf Gallery - Figurative Malerei - Munich
London Art Fair - Beaux Arts Gallery . Cork Street - Islington - London
Apocalypse Now - Galerie Marzia Frozen - Berlin
2012
The Door Prize for Painting - Centrespace Gallery - Bristol
Stephan Stumpf Gallery
The Dance with the Devil and the Idyll of Fate Show - Munich
2011
Dvorak Sec Gallery - No Borders Appeal to Heaven - Prague
Hungarian Painters - National Gallery - Budapest
Promenade Project - Kogart House - Budapest
Hungarian Artists Collective - Potenza - Italy
2010
158th Autumn Exhibition - Royal West Academy - Bristol
MA Fine Art Show - University College Falmouth - Falmouth
Cork Street Open Exhibition - Cork Street Gallery - London
Italian Cultural Institute - Prague - Czech Republic
Italian Cultural Institute - Vienna - Austria
4th International Arte Laguna Prize - Venice Arsenale - Venice
2009
Royal Institute of Oil Painters - Mall Galleries - London
2005
Fresh Europe Exhibition - Berlin
Essl Award and Hot Spots Exhibition - Klosterneuburg - Vienna - Austria
Essl Award Exhibition - Museum of Applied Arts - Budapest
Prizes
2012 Saatchi Online - Showdown finalist
2012 Jack Goldhill Painting Prize - shortlisted
2011 The Door Prize - shortlisted
2010 Arte Laguna Special Prize
2005 Kogart Prize of Painting
2005 Essl Award
2004 Pannonia 100 - 2nd Prize
2002 Pan European Union - Special Prize
2000 San Francisco - Golden Gate Design Competition - Special Prize 2000 Gecser Lujza Textile Prize
Works in Collections
Benetton Foundation - Venice - Italy
Essl Collection - Essl Museum - Austria - Vienna
Kovacs Gabor Art Foundation - Kogart - Hungary - Budapest Vasilescu Collection - Hungary
MUSA Collection - Czech Republic - Prague
Tirouflet Collection - France, Ireland and Austria
Articles | Publications
2013 BP Portrait Award - Exhibition Catalogue
Women in Art - Volume I. Great Female Artists from the Middle Ages to the Modern Era The Pinch - Literary Journal - University of Memphis - USA
Juxtapoz New Contemporaries - Painting, High, Low and Pop
Juxtapoz Magazine
2012 Inkult Magazine - Interview - Mexico City
Referee | Dr Daro Montag
Associate Professor of Art & Environment | Marine & Natural History Photography [email protected]