Over the course of the 20th century, Berettyóújfalu emerged as a true cultural center, attracting artists from far and wide who found here either temporary or permanent homes. Árpád Bényi came to town through his work with the Children’s Town project, and as an art teacher and studio leader introduced hundreds of young people to the rich world of the visual arts while remaining a prolific creator himself. His unique use of color became his trademark, imbuing his canvases with both tension and harmony. In the 1970s, life led Gusztáv Kárpáti to Berettyóújfalu; celebrated by his peers as a leading abstract painter, his landscapes of the Great Plain convey his deepest joys, sorrows, and emotions. One of his most notable pupils was Erzsébet Szathmári (née Soltész Kálmánné), born in Oradea, who arrived in our town after World War II and loved to capture the beauty of the surrounding countryside on canvas.