Art Museums of Budapest

Along with a rich history, Budapest also is known for its rich art culture. The art culture of Budapest developed over several hundreds of years. They have been influenced by the Romans and the Turks. At one point, Budapest was considered a sister city to Vienna and their art rivaled theirs as well. There are numerous art museums throughout the city and so many that we will not be able to list them all.

Ferenc Hopp Museum of East Asian Art is a private collection of Hopp's works. The works were brought together in the 19 th century. The collection contained four thousand pieces at one point. Ferenc Hopp was known as a world-traveling businessman and his works now number at over nineteen thousand.

Museum of Applied Arts is home to the most art noveau bottles. The museum also contains several Italian majolica, Zsolnay ceramics, Augsburg gold ware and French furniture. Many of these unique pieces are from the baroque period. The "applied arts" basically means that these are household items of exquisite quality and beauty.

Lajos Kassak Memorial Museum is an exhibition that is housed in the Zichy mansion. Lajos Kassak was an artist in many forms. He is known for his poetry, painting and editing. He is one of Hungary's most famous artists in the From the Legacy of Hungarian Writers. From the Legacy of Hungarian Writers showcases Hungarian twentieth century art and writings.

The Museum of Contemporary Art is located in the Ludwig Museum Budapest. You will find many modern exhibits in this museum. The art was collected by Peter and Irene Ludwig of Cologne. The museum contains exhibits from the last fifty years of modern art. You will also find exhibits from the last ten years of modern Hungarian art.

Hungarian National Gallery contains over 100,000 items. The art portrays Hungary during the Magyar Conquest to present day. There are many permanent exhibitions that include stone works from the Renaissance, Wooden Gothic Statues, Gothic Winged altarpieces, Panel Paintings, Renaissance and Baroque art, the Habsburg Crypt, as well as 19 th century and 20 th century Hungarian art.

The Palace of Arts is the largest exhibition hall in Hungary. The exhibitions are continually changing and include contemporary and modern art.

The Museum of Fine Arts is Budapest's museum of non-Hungarian art. They include early work to present day works of art. The gallery was established by the collections of Archbishop Pyrker of Eger. The state also purchased a large amount of art in 1870 from the Esterhazy family. Today you will find Egyptian, Roman, Greek, and Italian art. There is also a Spanish art collection that includes several masterpieces by El Greco.

The Vasarely Museum is an exhibit that is selected from the Museum of Fine Arts. These pieces are by the Hungarian artist Victor Vasarely. Vasarely lived most of his life learning and practicing his art in Paris, France.

The MEO Contemporary Art Collection is an exhibit of Hungarian artists. The museum is a complex of buildings that contain the works of both Hungarian and International artists

The House of Future Centre is entertainment for the whole family. This museum is located in central Buda. It has two outside exhibits called The House of Future and the Palace of Miracles. They also host a wide variety of cultural activities, festivals, concerts, theatrical performances and kids programs. The museum is open year round with exciting activities for the whole family. There are also many museums and galleries located inside the center

Other museums of interest include the Gizi Bajor Theatre Museum, the Banknote and Coin Collection, the Bela Bartok Memorial House, The Stamp Museum, The Bible Musuem, and the Matthias Church. The Matthias Church contains a collection of ecclesiastical works of art. The Museum of Music History, Imre Varga Collection, the Gyorgy Rath Museum, Dorottya Gallery and the Ernst Museum are all interesting as well

Budapest is proud of its art and they have a museum for just about everything. They pride themselves on technological advances and science discoveries. They have many museums to see and visit while in Budapest. You will be able to spend many days walking around and learning about the history of Hungary and their art.