General Information

The Hungarian National Gallery, located in the Buda Castle, was established in 1957 as the national art museum. Its collections cover Hungarian art in all genres, including the many 19th- and 20th-century Hungarian artists who worked in Paris and other locations in the West.

Additional Information

In 2008, the director of the Museum of Fine Arts, László Baán, proposed the merging of his museum with the National Gallery, due to the similar exhibition and collection profile of the two. Both specialise in 20th-century and contemporary fine art, much of which was created by Hungarian artists living overseas. Joining the two collections is expected to happen by 2017.

Collection: Highlights

The exhibitions at the museum are divided into the following sections: Mediaeval and Renaissance stone sculptures; Gothic art in wood (figurines and paintings); late Gothic altars; Renaissance and Baroque arts; 19th- and 20th-century painting, photography, sculpture, graphic art and prints; and contemporary art.

Collection: Explained

The mediaeval and Renaissance collection includes works in stone and marble from the 11th to the 16th century. The Gothic wood sculptures and pictures in the gallery date from the 14th to the 15th century. The late Gothic altars come from the 15th century to the 16th century. The Renaissance and Baroque Hungarian art collection covers the period from 1550 to 1800.

The museum displays a number of works from national Hungarian sculptors, like Károly Alexy, Maurice Ascalon, Miklós Borsos, Gyula Donáth, János Fadrusz, Béni Ferenczy, István Ferenczy and Miklós Izsó. It also exhibits paintings and photographs by major Hungarian artists such as Brassai and Ervin Marton, part of the circle who worked in Paris before World War II.

The museum also holds works by Mihály Munkácsy, László Paál, Karoly Marko, Josef Borsos, Miklos Barabas, Bertelan Szekely, Karoly Lotz, Pál Szinyei Merse, Istvan Csok, Bela Ivanyi Grunwald, Tivadar Kosztka Csontváry, József Rippl-Rónai and Károly Ferenczy.