W&J professor has work displayed at Budapest art fair
Courtesy of Patrick Schmidt
A work by Washington & Jefferson College art professor Patrick Schmidt that is being displayed at the Art Market Budapest in Hungary this weekend.
Courtesy of Patrick Schmidt
A poster featuring the work of Patrick Schmidt on display in a public space in Budapest, Hungary.
Patrick Schmidt has had his colorful work displayed in many corners of the globe, and now the Washington & Jefferson College art professor is getting his highest level of international exposure at an art fair this weekend in Budapest, Hungary.
Schmidt’s work is being used to promote Art Market Budapest, and a poster featuring one of pieces has been put up in public spaces around the city.
Describing the fair as “a hotbed of contemporary art,” Schmidt said being represented there “places my work on a whole new level, which is exciting.”
Billed as the premier international art fair in Central and Eastern Europe, Art Market Budapest typically draws more than 30,000 visitors and draws exhibitors from more than 40 countries. Schmidt’s work has been part of group or solo shows in Britain, France and Italy, and is in some corporate and private collections in Europe. In the United States, Schmidt’s paintings and drawings have also been displayed in galleries in New York, Washington, D.C., Kansas City and other locations.
The work chosen for the poster in Budapest is “very colorful, very dynamic, very graphic and it fits in a square,” Schmidt explained.
In an ideal world, Schmidt would have flown to Budapest for the event, but continuing restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have severely restricted the flow of American visitors to Hungary. However, Schmidt was planning on appearing at the fair via Zoom from his studio in Mt. Lebanon so fairgoers six time zones away can find out about what he is currently working on and what his methods are.
Schmidt is a Michigan native, a graduate of Central Michigan University and a W&J faculty member since 2002. Last year, as the coronavirus curtailed opportunities for Schmidt to display his work, he affixed portions of his paintings to masks he sold through his store, as well as mugs and cellphone cases.
Samples of Schmidt’s work can be seen on his website, patrickschmidtstudio.com/home.html. His online store is available at teespring.com/stores/patrick-schmidt-studio/.