“Picasso has simply become the symbol of creation” Discussion in Budapest with Laurent Le Bon, director of the Picasso Museum in Paris, and Emilie Bouvard, curator of the exhibition at the Hungarian National Gallery author: Péter Emőd Laurent Le Bon, who has headed the Picasso Museum in Paris for two years, came to Budapest for the opening of Hungary’s largest ever Picasso exhibition, curated by art historian Emilie Bouvard. Three-quarters of the works on display are from Paris. Le Bon spoke about his museum, relations with the Picasso family, and his own […]
The Harruckern–Wenckheim–Almásy Mansion in Gyula Exhibition and/or Visitor Centre? author: Beatrix Basics Békéscounty was geographically in the centre of the country when the then reigning Charles III granted the estate to JánosGyörgyHarruckern (1664–1742) the county’s largest landowner. In 1729 he received the title of baron and later was appointed Lord Lieutenant. However, after the Ottoman occupation the area became almost depopulated. In 1695 the county came under […]
The Vanished Paintings of Csontváry, Gulácsy and Schiele Hardly a Trace Left of the Neményi Collection author: Sándor Juhász Bertalan Neményi was a significant Hungarian art collector between the two World Wars, although little was known about him either by his contemporaries or succeeding generations. Although a few artworks owned by the lawyer who shunned publicity were displayed at some exhibitions, most items in his collection were hidden from the public, since no information […]
The Technology of Aesthetics The White Cube as a Given and as a Methodological Choice author: Zsófia Frazon White exhibition spaces opening out from each other, a semi-transparent, variable installation of a LEGO structure with a smooth surface, white marble floor, a light birch tree behind the works of art with a Perspex wall in front. Inside, different objects of both everyday use and celebration, photos, paintings, documents, letters, maquettes, souvenirs, diaries – […]
The Great War in the Museum of Military History From Sarajevo to Paris … and Four Years in Between author: Marianna Berényi The Military History Institute and Museum stands in the north-west corner of Budapest’s Castle District. Its new, permanent exhibition Hungary in the Great War, 1914–1918, which opened in May, could represent a milestone in the institute’s history. The birth of the museum, on 16 November 1918, was closely connected with the First World War. Those […]
St. Martin Year at Pannonhalma We are Together: Ten Stories of Today in Photos author: IstvánVirágvölgyi, curator This year Pannonhalma Abbey is celebrating the 1700th anniversary of the birth of Saint Martin. In 996 Prince Géza designated the saint of ancient Christian as well as medieval times to be the patron of the country’s first Benedictine monastery. The choice related to the royal traditions of the Carolingian age and its living traditions, […]
Two Royal Seats on a Common Path: Buda-Pest-Old Buda and Krakow The Silver Rooster’s Golden Forint author: Judit Benda, curator What can the history of two royal cities have in common? In what way were medieval Krakow and Buda-Pest similar and in what way different? What kind of factors were needed for a city to assume a central role in a country’s life? How can the 600-year history of two cities be presented briefly but […]
A small village born of ruins in the middle of the city “There is something of a listed building character in the life of the residents” Interview with Tamás Dragonits, former architect of the Castle district author: Judit Jankó Tamás Dragonits is 92 and he is still active today. In 2014 he published his book Eyewitnessing about all he knows of the history of Budapest’s Castle District. And he knows a lot. That is not only because he has lived there since 1954, but also since he was one of the most important figures […]
Palaces, Churches, Museums From St. Vitus’s to Golden Lane author: Beatrix Basics The origins of Prague’s Castle District can be traced to the 9th century. The castle complex was a seat of European rulers – Czech kings and Holy Roman Emperors. The first stone edifice was the Church of the Virgin Mary, constructed in 870. The churches of St. George and St. Vitus date from the first […]
Buda Castle, Museums, Exhibition Spaces: Half Empty A Not Fully Complete Overview, With Both Outstanding and Woeful Examples author: Péter Hamvay It is often said that the reason for reconstructing the Buda Castle Palace as it was when designed by AlajosHauszmann is that there are not enough sights in the Castle area. Yet there are many museums and galleries, though the majority of institutes established in the 60s and 70s have not seen major developments in […]