“Cézanne came, saw and conquered” A conversation in Budapest with Denis Coutagne, president of the Paul Cézanne Association MúzeumCafé 36. author: Viktória V. Nagy What’s the connection between a tiny Cézanne sketch and the loan of a Bernini statue? Did modernity in painting began with Cézanne? MúzeumCafé spoke about these and other questions with Denis Coutagne, former director of the Granet Museum in Aix-en-Provence and president of the Paul Cézanne Association, who in January this year came to Budapest […]
It’s all so hopeless giving back artworks Art historian László Mravik on the problems of restitution MúzeumCafé 36. author: Emőke Gréczi László Mravik has not pursued the traditional career of an art historian, although he started out as a researcher of Renaissance painting and was accepted by and worked with expert scholars at university and in his first job at the Museum of Fine Arts. Then he took up employment offered by the ministry and spent […]
A thousand years of culture in a variety of imprints on Saint Martin’s Hill The Benedictine Abbey in Pannonhalma MúzeumCafé 36. author: Marianna Berényi “Monks have time for God!” This definitive statement can be read in a publication of the Pannonhalma Abbey. Today the monks still gather for common prayer three times a day, but they are also engaged in pastoral work in nearby villages, teaching, as well as maintaining a home for the elderly and a centre for […]
A family of artists and an overview of a town’s painting The new Ferenczy Museum in Szentendre MúzeumCafé 36. author: Beatrix Basics, art historian Szentendre is known as a town of painters, museums and galleries, yet prior to 1951 it had no mu-seum. Although the Szentendre local museum and archive was established in 1925, it didn’t have a building of its own until 1951, when it moved into a former Serbian Orthodox school built in the 18th century. The […]
Israel Museum renewal More than a national museum MúzeumCafé 36. author: Gréta Süveges The Israeli Museum’s Givat Ram neighbourhood houses the Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are displayed, a model of the Second Temple, the Billy Rose Art Garden, a Youth Wing, an Archaeological Wing, the Jewish Art and Life Wing, the Bella and Harry Wexner Gallery and the Fine Arts Wing. Beyond the […]
“Once a castle – now but stones” Castles and castle museums in Hungary – situation and opportunities MúzeumCafé 36. author: Kálmán Varga historian, heritage expert Is there anyone who is not interested in castles? For men, battles, fighting and the achievement of glory cannot be separated from strongholds erected from earth, wood, stone, sometimes bricks, as well as concrete in more recent times. Women are drawn to old stories about castles that today seem romantic and they believe they can […]
Big deal But why is it stripy? MúzeumCafé 36. author: István Éliás, museum education specialist, head of the Nagy Kunszt (Big Deal) Contemporary Visual Arts Study Museum of the Miskolc City Gallery The tenth Big Deal has welcomed artists in Miskolc Gallery with the walls painted in stripes. If not liked, they could be covered. Yet, the stripes had a purpose – they symbolised the project’s content. Miskolc Gallery has held museum education sessions since 2001, but we launched a really daring experiment, “Big Deal”, five years […]
Some thoughts about moving medieval works of art MúzeumCafé 36. author: Alexandra Kocsis, art historian Art critic Blake Gopnik has recently posed the question that has concerned experts and ordinary art lovers for a long time, namely whether it is worth risking the condition of a work by transporting it and staging an exhibition for the sake of yet another blockbuster event.. Is it really necessary to move artworks on […]
József Rippl-Rónai stained-glass windows in the dining room of the Andrássy Mansion in Tiszadob Issues and solutions in connection with restoration and reconstruction MúzeumCafé 36. author: Eleonóra Balogh, glass artist, restorer The stained-glass windows of the Andrássy Mansion in Tiszadob present us with a varied picture. In addition to the stained glass of mainly simple geometrical design in the stairway, entrance hall and salon, you can also find József Rippl-Rónai’s colourful, animated ensemble echoing Art Nouveau, which was originally designed for the dining room of Tivadar […]
Temporary deposits of artworks, confiscated fortunes Part I: Kolozsvár MúzeumCafé 36. author: Jenő Murádin, art historian The idea that Budapest, which had developed into a metropolis, could encourage artistic initiatives in the country, infuse life into local associations and galleries, as well as share the experience of exhibitions with provincial Hungarian towns was born in the period of great plans for the 1896 Millennium celebrations. It was as if the aim […]