This exhibition of paintings and drawings by Árpád Szenes (1897 - 1985) and Maria Helena Vieira da Silva (1908 - 1992) belonging to Portuguese collections, was organized on the occasion of the European Cultural Month by the European Capital of Culture - Lisbon 94 and by the Modern Art Centre (CAM) of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (FCG), in collaboration with the municipality of Budapest (Hungary). The event was sponsored by the European Council and the UNESCO.

The aim of these initiatives was to promote the cultural exchange and dialogue between the Member States of the European Union (EU) and countries that were not yet part of the EU, as was the case of Hungary.

As noted by the President of Lisboa 94, Vítor Constâncio, the relevance and adequacy of this initiative fitted in with the underlying objectives of the reunion between the two countries: "Despite the international career of both painters, the work of the couple Árpád Szenes and Vieira da Silva reflects abundantly the influence of their countries of origin and therefore, it is a significant element of their respective cultures" (Arpad Szenes e Vieira da Silva nas Colecções Portuguesas, 1994). The exhibition also fulfilled the purpose of promoting the work of two important figures in the panorama of the history of plastic arts in Europe.

Besides emphasizing how the roots of both artists had an impact in their works, some of which featured in the exhibition, the curators of the exhibition, José Sommer Ribeiro and Ivonne Felman Cunha Rego also presented the fundamental objectives of their choice which was the necessity to "give an overview of the evolution of the work of both painters" based on the works belonging to Portuguese collections. In this sense, the exhibition could never be exhaustive, but perhaps incomplete.

Still in 1992, Simonetta Luz Afonso, Coordinator of the Exhibitions of Lisbon European Capital of Culture (1994), invited José Sommer Ribeiro, Director of the CAM to be the commissioner of this exhibition, which was included in the Budapest Spring Festival European Cultural Month program.  To help carry out this task, a collaboration of Guy Weelen was requested, a historian, secretary and friend of the Árpád/Vieira couple, with whom he lived closely for nearly thirty years.

While limiting the selection of the works to Portuguese collections, the commissioners avoided the inevitable delays and the requests of artworks to various museums and international collectors, as well as the high expenses with insurances and transport costs. In addition to these logistic and economic questions, in the opinion of the organizers, the sheer quality of both Árpád Szenes and Vieira da Silva works belonging to Portuguese collections assured an "excellent exhibition" (Letter on the planning of the exhibition in Budapest, 24 set. 1993, Gulbenkian Archives, CAM 00346)

The exhibition was presented in the Budapest History Museum and featured 49 works of Árpád Szenes and 33 works of Vieira da Silva. Although they were based on distinct chronologies and artistic journeys, in the works of Árpád Szenes and Vieira da Silva one could find common interests. As stated by Guy Weelen: "Different as they were in characteristics and not less distinct in appearance, Árpád and Vieira da Silva found themselves obsessed throughout their work with the same problem: space. How can we translate it in a vivid and contemporary way? How can we express the movement and, more specifically in the case of Vieira, the time required to achieve it? To this fundamental reflection, it must be added a very deep love for the light that he, Árpád, discovered in the impressionists, firstly Monet, and which Vieira da Silva sensed in the contemporary canvas of Bonnard" (Árpád Szenes e Vieira da Silva nas Coleções Portuguesas, 1994)

On the other hand, in dialogue, the works of both artists allowed to understand the autonomy and the evolution each one experienced over the years, as well as the characteristics that made their artistic journeys original, standing out in the history of European painting.

In a bilingual edition, in Hungarian and Portuguese, the catalogue included a biography of both artists, the introductory text of Guy Weelen and the colored reproductions of the exhibited works.

In that same year of 1994, José Sommer Ribeiro left the direction of CAM to become the first Director of the Árpád Szenes and Vieira da Silva Museum, fulfilling the request made years earlier by Maria Helena Vieira da Silva herself.