Do we need to protect Hungarian art objects by keeping them in Hungary?
MúzeumCafé 11.
Péter Buzinkay Art historian, Inspectorate of Art Treasures, National Office of Cultural Heritage (NOCH)
The question is both provocative and misleading, since protection is not about keeping items in Hungary. Protection primarily involves conservation, research and presentation. Legal tools of cultural heritage protection are necessary. Unfortunately, market forces often have a negative effect. Within Europe, Hungary is among the countries which are regulated in a relatively strict manner. Besides the export prohibition, protection involves the registration of art works by the NOCH and its supervision. In certain cases the state has the right of first refusal, as well as access to the art object for exhibitions or research. Since 2006 a compulsory external professional filter has to be involved for the new protection of art objects initiated by the NOCH – the seven-member advisory board of the CPC.
Csaba Nagyházi President of the National Association of Hungarian Art Dealers, Director of Nagyházi Gallery
As a member of the committee deciding whether an object of art should be protected, I always think that a small quantity of art objects from those remaining in the country should enjoy protection in Hungary. But it is precisely the quantity which is a determining factor – I feel that today there are too many protected works of art in Hungary. If a Titian is discovered it should be protected, yet paintings by his pupils or followers must be judged individually. This is primarily true for works by foreign masters. It was earlier recognized that if only mediocre Hungarian paintings are allowed to leave the country, people would think that Hungary could only produce that. I don’t think we should insist that as many Hungarian works of art as possible be protected.
Erzsébet Király Chief museologist, Hungarian National Gallery
Only relatively few works are protected by the National Gallery today, thanks to the screening of the past decade. Moreover, even a protected Hungarian masterpiece can be presented anywhere in the world due to the present legislation. Critics of the law rarely mention that this licence for exhibition abroad may be valid for several years. Being displayed outside Hungary can be a mission. But being so is legitimate – the licence is about that – if the works of art preserve their heritage protection status and their true interpretation, namely they are represented in their real context. The fact that their final place is in Hungary – that there is an obligation of returning them – cannot be disputed. What has received its historical and cultural recognition and special significance from the Hungarian public is expected back, to be appreciated again by the same public at an exhibition. In the language of museology, the essential term is irreplaceable.