Oh, what a nucleus! Novel archaeological narratives at three exhibitions in Hungary MúzeumCafé 41. author: Marianna Berényi A nucleus. So much and no more. Perhaps the age, material and location by the object’s name. A typical object label that can be found in numerous archaeological exhibitions. An expressive symbol, saying more about the taciturnity of a profession than about the displayed object. A long-lasting phenomenon and as a result the question must […]
Slaves or co-workers? An overview of results of the public-works programme in museums MúzeumCafé 41. author: Péter Hamvay Organised by the National Institute for Culture (NIC) and the Hungarian Digital Archive (HDA), several thousand public-works employees have appeared in museums. Was this just a pre-election gimmick about the employment rate, which is ineffectual and expensive (costing more than three billion forints), even a government adventure involving risks to security and artwork protection, or […]
Reformulation of the tasks of county museums in the wake of changes in the organisational structure MúzeumCafé 41. author: Beatrix Basics, art historian Hungary’s Law CLII passed on 8 October 2012 with respect to museums, administration of public libraries and general education is a modification of Law CXL of 1997. Of concern here is that its provisions cover “museum institutes, their funding bodies and employees, the elements of cultural heritage held by museums, the users of services provided […]
The Five Hundred Years History of the Kisszeben High Altar The latest attraction of the Old Hungarian Art Collection in the Hungarian National Gallery MúzeumCafé 41. author: Gyöngyi Török, art historian The golden age of late Gothic winged altars was from the late 15th century to the 1520s. Collecting by museums began in parallel with an interest in Gothic art in the 19th century. In the past centuries the structural parts of an altar were naturally the most precarious. The acquisition of the three altars of […]
What kind of items should be purchased with the planned 30 billion forints of the National Bank’s Art Purchase Programme? MúzeumCafé 41. Ferenc Gerhardt, deputy governor of the Hungarian National Bank and head of the Programme’s Advisory Body, said that the initiative to launch the programme was part of the bank’s medium-term strategy for social responsibility, the aim of which was to buy back the most important works of art with a Hungarian connection which had come […]
Graphic arts biennales Special opportunities for works exhibited at regular shows when acquired by collections MúzeumCafé 41. author: Emese Révész Fine arts biennales began to spread across Europe towards the end of the 19th century, at a time when the traditional academic institutional structure was being replaced by a more democratic one. The biennale in its full sense originally had the aspect of a salon, of which the main, indeed only aim was to survey […]
“We’re still planning lots of changes” Péter Farbaky, new director general of the Budapest History Museum on its tasks and opportunities MúzeumCafé 40. author: Éva Marton The Budapest History Museum (BHM) comprises several rather different institutes, namely the Buda Castle Museum, the Aquincum Museum, the Kiscell Museum – housing the Local History Department and the Municipal Picture Gallery – and the Budapest Gallery. In addition, the BHM is tasked with organising archaeological excavations in the capital, as well as monitoring the […]
“Everything must always be reconsidered” Nubiologist László Török chose his email address to reflect his profession MúzeumCafé 40. author: Emőke Gréczi Professor László Török started out as an architect and became noted as an archaeologist. He writes about the history of art, and encyclopaedia entries refer to him as a Nubiologist. MúzeumCafé talked to him about his career, about Egyptology in Hungary, the role of a Hungarian Egyptologist in international research and the origins of a […]
“To create a balance between the local and the universal” Exclusive interview with James Snyder, director of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem MúzeumCafé 40. author: Beatrix Basics, art historian, head of the department of art, Ferenczy Museum James S. Snyder was born in 1952 in Pittsburgh, USA. He is a graduate of Harvard University and a Loeb Fellow of Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. His maternal grandfather emigrated from Hungary to America in 1917. His grandmother and mo-ther with the siblings followed in 1922. From 1986 to 1996, Snyder served as deputy director of […]
Noémi Népessy, historian and museologist, director of the Óbuda Museum and Goldberger Textile Collection Taking it to pieces, then rebuilding it MúzeumCafé 40. author: Gábor Martos, Judit Jankó For the fourth time this January a jury of professionals commissioned by MúzeumCafé met to decide who would received the MúzeumCafé Award, founded in 2010, for last year’s outstanding museum-related achievement in Hungary. The jury voted to present the MúzeumCafé Award 2013 to Noémi Népessy, director of the Óbuda Museum and Goldberger Textile Collection. Noémi […]