The George Eastman Museum is proud to present American, born Hungary: Kertész, Capa, and the Hungarian American Photographic Legacy, a landmark exhibition exploring the extraordinary influence of Hungarian-born photographers on twentieth-century American photography.

This sweeping presentation traces the journeys of dozens of artists who fled political upheaval in Hungary, found refuge in Berlin and Paris, and eventually forged new lives—and a new visual language—in cities across the United States, from New York and Chicago to Los Angeles. The exhibition marks the first comprehensive look at their migrations and creative reinventions in the wake of two world wars and the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.

Featuring more than 150 compelling photographs, the exhibition captures the breadth of their vision: poetic street scenes, Hollywood glamour, experimental photograms, hard-edged depictions of urban life, and images that redefined war reportage. Visitors will encounter work by celebrated figures such as André Kertész, Robert Capa, Martin Munkácsi, György Kepes, and Nickolas Muray, as well as lesser-known photographers whose images helped shape American visual culture.

Among the highlights are:

• László Moholy-Nagy’s photograms, which inspired the founding of Chicago’s influential “New Bauhaus.”
• John Albok’s poignant portraits of New York during the Great Depression, praised by The New York Times.
• André de Dienes’s iconic Hollywood portraits, including early images of Marilyn Monroe that helped define the Golden Age of cinema.
• Robert Capa’s unforgettable war photographs, including those taken near Cerro Muriano and on D-Day, which remain among the most enduring images of World War II.

Together, these works reveal how Hungarian émigrés transformed American photography, shaping its aesthetic and expanding its reach.

American, born Hungary is organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and curated by Alex Nyerges, VMFA Director and CEO, in collaboration with Károly Kincses, founding director of the Hungarian Museum of Photography.

The exhibition debuted at the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, in April 2024, inaugurating the museum’s newly renovated exhibition hall. It traveled to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in October 2024 and now concludes its international tour at the George Eastman Museum.

American, born Hungary: Kertész, Capa, and the Hungarian American Photographic Legacy
September 26, 2025 – March 1, 2026
George Eastman Museum  – New York