The Chain Bridge Széchenyi threatened in an anonymous letter MúzeumCafé 17. author: Antal András Deák, historian, the Danube Museum Among all his many works it was the Chain Bridge which generated the most profound feelings for Count István Széchenyi. That is not surprising given that the project had “a difficult birth”. Numerous obstacles had to be overcome before Miklós Barabás could capture in his famous painting the moment when the bridge’s foundation stone was […]
Bourgeois progress in 19th-century Hungary MúzeumCafé 17. author: Beatrix Basics, art historian and deputy director of the Budapest History Museum How did it come about that the bourgeoisie played an important role in industry, commerce, science, culture and public life during the 19th century in Hungary? This is the theme of a travelling exhibition about several noted dynasties, which opens on the Night of Museums in June and closes in October 2011. The exhibition will […]
Róbert Berény – Portrait of Bartók A mystery of Hungarian art MúzeumCafé 17. author: Zoltán Rockenbauer, art historian “They just gripped each other’s hand, exchanging a few banal comments. Though Ady had no understanding of music, he instinctively held Bartók in high esteem and knew whom he was facing. They said little, rather just looked at each other.” The painter Ödön Márffy often used to relate this story, almost with the same words. […]
Flags, wreath ribbons, headgear Working with a textile collection MúzeumCafé 17. author: Éva Bagi Katkó, textile restorer, Móra Ferenc Museum, Szeged The 19th century witnessed increased demand for the gathering of valuable documents and objects with a view to preserving traditions. This led to the foundation of museums and following that to the establishment of professional restoring. Until then restoration was related exclusively to different crafts and included the processes of renovation, reconstruction and repair, since […]
Treasures hidden in the earth 16th-century thalers found in the outskirts of Hódmezővásárhely MúzeumCafé 17. author: Viktor Csányi, archaeologist, Tornyai János Museum Money has been a means of exchange and an important element of everyday life for many centuries. It was used in various forms and denominations, and hidden coin deposits come to light from every period. On 14 and 15 December last year the Hódmezővásárhely Tornyai János Museum organised a special excavation near the town, with […]
Adventures of the conquering Hungarians The Arrival of the Hungarians by Árpád Feszty MúzeumCafé 17. author: Ottó Trogmayer, Széchenyi Prize-winning archaeologist, museologist Towards the end of the 18th century the Scottish artist Robert Barker surprised the world with a new idea and not long afterwards, in 1787, his invention, the panorama painting, was patented. The foreground is an integral element of the optical illusion of panoramas and cycloramas, fully circular paintings which became popular at the end […]
How can the Feszty cyclorama be presented in both an up-to-date and authentic way in the 21st century? MúzeumCafé 17. Tamás Tokovics, managing director of the Ópusztaszer National Historical Memorial Park: From the very beginning the Memorial Park was more than a museum and better than a visitors’ centre. Today it is Hungary’s largest thematic park. The monumental cyclorama Arrival of the Hungarians by Árpád Feszty depicting the Hungarian conquest is exhibited in the rotunda […]
Energy, enthusiasm and the art of collecting Aspects of Art Patronage MúzeumCafé 17. author: Ernő P. Szabó The Essl Museum in Klosterneuburg, a town at the northern edge of the Vienna Woods, celebrated its 10th birthday last year. Characteristically for the collectors Agnes and Karlheinz Essl, and their colleagues whom they themselves recruited, the anniversary was marked by looking ahead, rather than contemplating the past. Included in the programme was Aspects of […]
Museums should not be taken for granted Glenn Brown contemporary British painter in the Ludwig Museum, Budapest MúzeumCafé 16. author: Gellért Rajcsányi At the opening of his recent exhibition in Budapest’s Ludwig Museum, Glenn Brown spoke to MúzeumCafé about his art and his experiences in relation to museums. An extremely reserved artist, he refused to be photographed in Budapest, as he does elsewhere in the world. As he says, he intends to reveal himself only through his […]
Krisztina Sedlmayr, ethnographer, head of communications at the Museum of Ethnography MúzeumCafé 16. author: Roland Borsos “Research and interpretation of contemporary social phenomena is as much the task of ethnography as the examination of the past,” Krisztina Sedlmayr asserts without concealing that seven years after the launch of the MaDok (Documenting the Present) project there is still resistance in professional circles concerning researching the present. According to Ms. Sedlmayr curators should […]