The Mercedes-Benz Art Collection is being shown publicly for the first time in Budapest through the exhibition 'Power Lines,' which opened at the Merlin Theatre on Tuesday and runs until 31 August. The show features works by over 30 internationally recognized contemporary artists, including David Hockney, Robert Longo, Sylvie Fleury, and John M Armleder, alongside Hungarian and regional artists such as Ilona Németh, Katalin Kortmann-Járay, Karina Mendreczky, and Rita Süveges. Curated by Krisztián Török, the exhibition presents the collection through a Central and Eastern European lens, exploring themes of industrialization, migration, energy, modernism, and ecology.
The exhibition matters because it marks a rare public debut of one of Europe’s most significant corporate art collections, which contains over 3,000 works by around 800 artists and was founded in 1977. By contextualizing the collection through a regional perspective and addressing contemporary issues like industrialization and ecology, 'Power Lines' demonstrates how corporate art initiatives can engage with local histories and global conversations. The show also highlights the Mercedes-Benz brand’s long-standing commitment to cultural patronage, celebrating the 140th anniversary of the world’s first automobile while connecting engineering innovation with artistic expression.