Only a fool applies at the age of seventy
Loránd Bereczky, retired director of the Hungarian National Gallery
MúzeumCafé 32.
MúzeumCafé has talked to someone whose career leading to directing one of Hungary’s most important public collections cannot be regarded as usual. Although he graduated as an art historian, he did not pass through the ranks of promotion. Loránd Bereczky was appointed director of the Hungarian National Gallery directly from the Party centre. During his 25 years in the post he acted to increase the museum’s prestige by ensuring good working conditions for curators and researchers. He took over a relatively young institution which had recently moved to Buda Castle and set about establishing the first permanent exhibitions. The interview covers the issues of how the present departments of the National Gallery were formed, what caused the greatest difficulty at the time of the King Matthias exhibition, which attracted half a million visitors, whether it was easy for a director with a background in the one-party state, what advantages or disadvantages a museum has when it is located in Buda Castle, and how the Ludwig Collection was established in Hungary. The Budapest History Museum was situated in the Castle and according to Loránd Bereczky it could not have had a better place. He thought it would be good if the National Gallery and the National Széchényi Library occupied the remaining area rather than political bodies as the Rákosi regime had intended. A great advantage of the Castle District was that it represented an outstanding tourist draw. In the days of organised East European tourism the Gallery attracted one million visitors. It is a little known fact that the Ludwig Museum was originally a branch of the National Gallery. The Ludwigs told the ministry they would donate some fine works of art if a place were found for them.