Museum objects are like effervescent tablets – in water they come to life Emese Joó, museum educator, Museum of Ethnography MúzeumCafé 33. author: Éva Marton As a museum educator and press officer of the Museum of Ethnography, Emese Joó’s chief aim is to open the museum’s gates to the public as wide as possible. Huge collections have compiled in museum storerooms. An exhibition curator selects from them according to what she or he wants to present in terms of a […]
“Two things moved me: I wanted to set up teams and to share what I saw with others.” Anna Lakos, Research Director, Hungarian Theatre Museum and Institute MúzeumCafé 33. author: Judit Jankó Anna Lakos from the Hungarian Theatre Museum and Institute (HTMI) was presented with the Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters award by the Director of the French Institute on 5 November 2012. She received the prize for her life achievement, her activity including translations, and organising guest performances of French theatre and dance […]
Professional confessions of a hedonistic art connoisseur Vilmos Tátrai, chief advisor, Museum of Fine Arts MúzeumCafé 33. author: Orsolya Radványi Vilmos Tátrai’s whole life as a museum specialist is connected with the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts, where for 42 years he has joyfully spent all his time. He is passionately attached to works of art, and discovering their secrets and identifying their masters bring true delight for him. He has also participated in staging […]
People go to museums for refreshment Nicholas Penny, director of the National Gallery, London MúzeumCafé 33. author: Beatrix Basics When art historian Nicholas Penny was appointed director of the National Gallery in London the profession responded with universal approval. Penny began working at the gallery in 1990 and became noted in broad professional circles the following year when he attributed a painting thought to be a copy as certainly an original Raphael. He applied […]
Where all ends well Museum of Fairy Tales and Fairy Tale Workshop, From the seven-headed dragon to half the kingdom MúzeumCafé 33. author: Nóra Vágvölgyi Busi Once upon a time there was a story-writer who cherished the dream about a magical place where the “story of stories” came to life and where everyone turned into a real fairy-tale character. The story-writer is Kossuth Prize-winning poet, Sándor Kányádi, whose idea for a Museum of Fairy Tales and Fairy Tale Workshop was brought […]
A walk in America’s „Middle Ages” The Cloisters Museum in New York MúzeumCafé 33. author: Gábor Martos One of America’s most intriguing museums, The Cloisters, is situated on the top of a hill in Fort Tryon Park at the northern tip of Manhattan. The neo-Romanesque and neo-Gothic building complex, constructed between 1934 and 1938, was commissioned by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. (1874–1961) and designed by Charles Collens (1873–1956) in such a manner […]
Peasants’ Paris building a cultural quarter The Tornyai János Museum and Community Centre in Hódmezővásárhely MúzeumCafé 33. author: Gellért Rajcsányi Over a century ago the peasant-burghers constructed the new centre of their town with a fervour similar to Budapest. A good hundred years later it was time to rethink the town centre, the new cultural quarter of Hód-mezővásárhely was completed by the autumn of 2012. What does it include? A new pedestrianized thoroughfare with street […]
European finances and Hungarian museums Developing museums in Hungary from EU financing MúzeumCafé 33. author: Péter Hamvay Over 35 billion forints was invested in Hungarian museums in the past five years, a major part being spent on restoring listed buildings. Nevertheless, several museums have been modernized, and display storerooms, children’s playrooms and new exhibition venues have been built. In addition, there are finances that can be applied for directly from Brussels: most […]
Contemporaries and associates Contemporary arts and museum education at the Paks Gallery MúzeumCafé 33. author: Eszter Göttinger, museum educator The Paks Gallery has been involved with museum education since 2007. At first the artists Ágnes Szabics and Zsolt Keserue, and later art teacher Judit Zirczi worked with the town’s nursery and primary school children. There were six or eight groups attending every month. In 2009 museum educator Eszter Göttinger also got involved. The most […]
A painting restored to all its glory Stefano Cernotto’s depiction of St Catherine of Alexandria MúzeumCafé 33. author: András Fáy, restorer The half figure of St Catherine with a palm branch and a wheel, composed in an airy landscape, first appeared publicly at the Nagyházi Gallery’s auction in May 2011 after a long period of lying hidden. Its rather poor condition may have accounted for the moderate starting price. It could be expected that restoration would […]