Michel Salzmann: A painter's perspective on Budapest

What if Budapest could be told in a way other than through its history, its monuments or its postcards? On the occasion of the International Games Convention, contemporary painter Michel Salzmann invites us to discover the Hungarian capital through the artist's unique perspective.

On October 18, 2026 , from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM , Michel Salzmann will give a lecture entitled "The Perspective of the Painter Michel Salzmann on Budapest" at the VDSZ in Budapest. This event will bring together two worlds: that of a city steeped in history and that of a painter who observes it, explores it, and transforms it through his gaze.

A journey through several cultures

Born in Lisbon in 1971, Michel Salzmann is a Swiss-Portuguese painter. He grew up and trained in Switzerland, where he obtained a high school diploma in visual arts from the Collège de Saussure in Geneva in 1991. There, he worked with artists such as Marc Jurt, Ilie Pavel, and Jean Stern, and later completed internships in the studio of painter Gilbert Mazliah.

But his professional path did not immediately follow that of an artist. From 1995 to 2017, Michel Salzmann worked in institutional and private finance, before dedicating himself to philanthropy between 2017 and 2021. During these years, painting remained present, but sporadically.

Since 2022, he has chosen to devote himself entirely to his artistic work.

This background already provides a first key to understanding his work: Michel Salzmann does not simply paint from an artistic tradition. He also brings with him experience from the professional world, finance, human relations, and the different cultures in which he has lived.

To paint what one sees… and what one feels

Michel Salzmann is currently developing a painting style that is primarily figurative and semi-figurative.

His works explore themes he describes as timeless and universal , with particular attention to the relationships between people and the environments in which they live. His paintings seek less to faithfully reproduce reality than to question our way of perceiving it.

This reflection on perception occupies a central place in his approach. His work draws on both classical traditions and contemporary visual culture. He notably uses acrylic and charcoal, on canvas as well as on paper.

His works thus play on an interesting boundary: that which separates reality from interpretation, representation from sensation.

Budapest, a unique city in his journey

Budapest is among the places that now occupy an important place in his work.

Michel Salzmann has studios in Budapest, Geneva and Sintra. The Hungarian capital is therefore not simply a city he observed during a visit: it is part of his current artistic environment and maintains a special relationship with his work.

It is precisely this relationship that the Convention wishes to highlight.

Because a painter doesn't necessarily look at a city the way a historian, an architect, or a tourist does. He notices a light, a silhouette, a perspective, a texture, a fleeting scene. He might be drawn to a detail we no longer see because we're used to passing by it every day.

The painter's perspective allows us to rediscover a city we thought we knew.

Another way of telling the story of Budapest

Michel Salzmann's lecture will therefore be an opportunity to look at Budapest from a different angle.

It will not simply be a matter of talking about monuments or urban landscapes, but of understanding how an artist looks at a city , how it nourishes his imagination and how painting can transform our perception of a place.

This approach particularly echoes the spirit of the Convention: to foster dialogue between history, cultures and different ways of telling the world.

Budapest has an exceptional history, marked by influences, ruptures and transformations. But it is also a living city, made up of encounters, movements, architectures, contrasts and atmospheres.

This is the Budapest that Michel Salzmann invites us to look at.

See you on October 18th

The meeting with Michel Salzmann will take place on Sunday, October 18, 2026, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. , at VDSZ, Benczúr utca 45, 1068 Budapest .

The conference is free (but falls under the Convention and therefore requires entry to it) .

Whether you are a painting enthusiast, passionate about Budapest, curious to discover the work of a contemporary artist or simply eager to take a different look at the city, this meeting will be an opportunity to discover Budapest from an unusual point of view: that of the painter .

Discover the work of Michel Salzmann: Michel Salzmann – official website

Discover the conference at the Convention: The Perspective of the Painter Michel Salzmann on Budapest