In 1960, shortly after graduating from art school in Budapest, Lászlo Lakner began work on what would be considered an early masterpiece—Seamstresses Listen to Hitler’s Speech. The painting shows a group of seated women, most of them angled toward the viewer, their expressions dark, blank, defeated. Hungary was invaded by the Nazis in 1944, and its people cooperated with the deportation of Hungarian Jews, who were sent by train to Auschwitz. Later, under the totalitarian regime of János Kádár, open discussions about the Holocaust were forbidden. This is why Lakner’s painting was viewed as extremely radical. He would eventually become one of the foremost figures in Hungarian Neo-realism, exploring various styles throughout his career. In 1974, Lakner moved to Berlin, where he has lived ever since. For this major exhibition, however, the 88-year-old artist made a trip to Eastern Europe. —Elena Clavarino