“Her clothing is too revealing …” The forgotten history of a 1900 Kernstok scandal in Nagyvárad MúzeumCafé 30. author: Jenő Murádin, art historian If someone ever gets round to writing a monograph about Ká-roly Kernstok, then the exaggerated reception of the painter’s art from the beginning will have to be dealt with. Kernstok’s novel imagery was the real stumbling block. The Nagyvárad affair can be regarded as the prelude to the chronicle of scandals which surrounded the artist […]
Europa Jagellonica, 1386–1572 Art and culture in the era of the Jagiellonian dynasty MúzeumCafé 30. author: Péter Farbaky In Kutná Hora, a small town in the Czech Republic, a major exhibition has opened which deserves the attention of Hungarian experts and ordinary visitors alike. On the road leading to the Church of St. Barbara there stands the huge Baroque building of the former Jesuit school, which today houses the Gallery of the Central […]
Boxes, children, exhibitions The Kovács Gábor Art Foundation and museum education MúzeumCafé 30. author: Noémi Szabó, art historian, Kovács Gábor art foundation, and István Sinkó, artist, museum education specialist, writer on art The Kovács Gábor Art Foundation, which was established by a private initiative in 2003, is a unique art centre in that it is entirely self-funding and independent. During the nine years of its existence it has held several ground-breaking exhibitions which have attracted both Hungarian and foreign visitors alike. The three basic elements of the […]
What practical problems have arisen with dissolving the county museum organisations and the change in ownership of institutions? MúzeumCafé 30. In recent months the county museum system, established in the 1960s, first experienced a change of funders then, following a government decree issued in April, it ceased to exist. The local city, town or village authorities are due to assume responsibility for the operation of the museums and memorial houses in their locality. However, the […]
Image? Business? Prestige? Cooperation between museums and the world of finance MúzeumCafé 30. author: Zsolt Vasáros, architect The connections of the financial world with culture, and within that the relations with museums across different countries – or, if you prefer, across different cultures – are varied in volume and character. In the USA there are numerous examples of museums being built from both private and bank resources. There are such cases in […]
When photography changes it does very dramatically A conversation in Budapest with historian of photography Colin Ford MúzeumCafé 29. author: Borbála Kálmán, art historian, Várfok Gallery British historian of photography Colin Ford has played an outstanding role in establishing the network of photography institutions in the UK. For decades he has also been internationally renowned as an untiring spokesperson on behalf of Hungarian photography. For seven years he was deputy curator of the National Film & Television Archive, then he got […]
Seven centuries of Simontornya Castle András K. Németh, director of the Simontornya Castle Museum MúzeumCafé 29. author: Marianna Berényi Gothic, Renaissance, Ottoman rule, the Rákóczi War of Independence, industrial revolution, Socialist Realism – seven centuries have left an indelible mark on the walls of Simontornya Castle. How can all this be preserved? What can the present age add? How can a young museum director start with such an inheritance? In a disadvantaged location can […]
“The problem is not the idea of a museum quarter” Árpád Mikó, head of the National Gallery’s Old Hungarian Collection MúzeumCafé 29. author: Marton Éva “My life would have been unimaginable without pictures. Even when I was a child they were important.” Thus says Árpád Mikó, who spent a large part of his youth in the former Old Hungarian Picture Gallery. “I was absolutely fascinated by its rich material. … The Gallery was my first place of employment. I started […]
Rembrandt drawings chained to the wrist and under her head Klára Garas, art historian, former director of the Museum of Fine Arts Budapest MúzeumCafé 29. author: Emőke Gréczi In its series recalling former memorable exhibitions MuzeumCafé talks to Klára Garas who has been connected with the Fine Arts Museum for nearly 90 years. Remembered in relation to many exhibitions, she began as a trainee and later became a curator and director of the museum. She was centrally active to the political changes of […]
One of the most significant cultural legacies in Transylvania The Teleki Collection MúzeumCafé 29. author: Katona Zoltán Count Sámuel Teleki (1739–1822), Chancellor of Transylvania, created a library which over the centuries has proved to be one of the most significant cultural legacies of Transylvania. The establishment and development of the Teleki Collection turned the chancellor into one of Transylvania’s most important patrons of the arts. During the past two centuries, irrespective of […]