Károly Chochol has photographed Budapest for more than fifty years, sometimes lyrical, often ironic, other times with an objective approach. If I had to compare his characteristic world of imagery with that of someone, I would probably come up with the name of the French Robert Doisneau. However, Chochol is not only familiar with this genre. He has won several awards with his portrait; he was noted as a landscape photographer. However, he has a lot more than that in his portfolio. As an eternal innovator, he has stacked up an impressive amount of imagery with and is still an active artist. However, in recent decades, work itself and the roles he undertook on the professional scene has been more important for him than regular showing segments of his life work.

His eightieth birthday this year proved to be some good stimulus to his very real return. Therefore, the walls of the Budapest Gallery reveal never pictures that have never shown before to the audience. Károly Chochol has surprises for his family, friends and admirers as well.

He was just a schoolboy literary wearing shorts when he first showed up on Hungarian photography scene in the early fifties. He learned from the great artists who had gained international recognition before the war. The legendary master Angelo, Haller F. G., Ernő Vadas and other masters encouraged the talented young photographer.

Chochol committed to photography for life. Shooting has remained his passion up today.

The current review of his life's work - which we show both with an exhibition and a representative album - is not just the self-expression of an individual photographer, but also the thought-provoking imprint of Hungarian photography and in some respects the past six and a half decades of Hungarian history.