The gallery founder’s affectionate and kind personality, together with his work ethic, provided a significant work experience for our colleagues. This has recently been confirmed by numerous personal reminiscences and tributes. Writings by former colleagues, friends, business partners, professionals, customers, collectors, as well as politicians’ statements and memories convey Csaba Nagyházi’s humane character, style, work ethic, struggles and achievements.

The history of the gallery is closely intertwined with thirty years of Nagyházi Csaba’s life. Since it was those three decades that were decisive in the rebirth of the domestic art market. There were more opportunities for the commercial trade of ancient artworks a few years preceding the regime change than in the previous decades. Csaba Nagyházi played a prominent role in the transformation of the art market, previously treated as a state monopoly. At the beginning, he would only receive collector friends and fellow jumble traders in his apartment on Labanc Street. Legendary friendships formed and excellent business relationships developed in this location somewhat romanticized by many of them. Nothing illustrates this better than an old neighbor from Labanc Street, who was touched by Csaba’s passion for collecting art back then as a young man and remained a regular visitor and customer of the gallery to date.

The unique cultural circumstances dominating in the 1970s in Hungary, most of our compatriots realized the importance of preserving and collecting items of our past traditions, be it folkloric, pertaining to applied or fine arts as they were traveling through Transylvania and the Hungarian countryside. Csaba Nagyházi spent his childhood in Lutheran Debrecen, which combined with his father’s well-known collecting activities significantly contributed to his early familiarization with the subject. Together with his friends, he would go on collecting adventures and roam, for several years, the lands of Transylvania and the Upper Lands then abundant in artworks. Needless to say, he also frequently traveled through the Hungarian rural cities, villages, and fairs, bonding with more and more art collectors and traders. By the time he opened his antiquity store in his garage on Járőr Street, he had acquired artworks from a circle one could call a countrywide network. However, not even that would leave him satisfied. Since in the early 1970s, his curiosity led him to art markets of higher quality and abundant in artistic objects in Spain, France, and Germany. Relying on his instincts and his continuously growing practical knowledge, he boldly and often daringly made purchases, sometimes taking significant risks.

At this intense pace, he began the establishment of the Balaton Street auction house and organized his first successful auction in April 1994 with the collaboration of the London Sotheby’s. Over the following 18 years, he held another 188 auctions. He edited the auction catalogs, processing nearly 50,000 items, occupy a respectable place on the shelves of domestic libraries even in linear meters. Once, at the Maastricht TEFAF, he introduced himself to a dealer from Antwerp showcasing an attractive collection as a keen exhibition visitor. He briefly explained who he really was, but they truly began to pay attention after he handed over a few of the auction catalogs as a gift. The seasoned art dealer from Antwerp knew exactly what it meant to have organized more than 150 auctions over one and a half decades. The magnitude with which Csaba Nagyházi thought and worked commanded respect. Whatever he started, he executed in a manner befitting his name, grandly and at the highest quality.

Over the past decades, he has acquired a remarkable collection through his intense curiosity and interest in artworks. He has lent numerous pieces from his collection to prestigious domestic and international exhibitions. Among the various genres, the folklore objects of Hungarian culture were the closest to his heart.

He gave several lectures about his beloved artworks as a guest of the Ethnographic Museum.

During his work as an art dealer, he formed direct friendships with numerous collectors and art owners, with whom he gladly shared his experiences and knowledge. With his loving and cheerful personality, he gained the trust of many clients. His kindness and helpfulness were well known among his colleagues and friends.

Upon its foundation, he was elected the first president of the Association of Hungarian Art Dealers and Galleries. As the president of the association, he worked for more than a decade and a half, and in recognition of his service, he was elected as Honorary President for Life in 2010.