Women Artists of the Hungarian Avant-Garde and Their Connections to the Cobra Group

Abstract One of the most fascinating examples of networked art groups in 20 th century art history, the Cobra art movement (1948‒1951), disrupted the logic of center-periphery relations in art through a model of cooperation between artistic hubs, in this case, Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam, as the name of the group suggests. However, Cobra soon became a model that was easy to extend to further connections and hubs, including Scandinavia and East Central Europe. Unexpected and mutual exchanges occurred within this artistic network. The article explores these exchanges through two lesser-known episodes of Cobra’s East Central European connections. Hungarian women artists like Margit Eppinger Weisz and Madeleine Kemény Szemere became involved with the activity of Cobra, and their case studies show specific models of circulating ideas.