Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
lyrical and intimate, but keep an eye open for the monumental Annunciation Altarpiece
(1510-20) and the intense, almost Renaissance face of John the Baptist in a series of four
paintings (1490) of scenes from his life.
Renaissance & Baroque Works
The finest 18th-century baroque painters in Hungary were actually Austrians, including
Franz Anton Maulbertsch (1724-96;
Death of St Joseph
) and his contemporary István
Dorfmeister (1725-97;
Christ on the Cross
). Other greats of the period with more of a
Magyar pedigree include Jakob Bogdány (1660-1724), whose
Two Macaws, a Cocka-
too and a Jay, with Fruit
is a veritable Garden of Eden; and Ádám Mányoki
(1673-1757), court painter to Ferenc Rákóczi II. You'll find their works in the galleries ad-
joining the Great Throne Room on the 1st floor.
Nineteenth-Century Works
Move into Building C for examples of the saccharine National Romantic School of heroic
paintings, whose most prolific exponents were Bertalan Székely (1835-1910;
Women of
Eger
) and Gyula Benczúr (1844-1920;
Recapture of Buda Castle, The Baptism of
Vajk
). This style of painting gave way to the realism of Mihály Munkácsy (1844-1900), the
'painter of the Great Plain' (
Storm in the Puszta
) and of intense religious subjects
(Gol-
gotha, Christ Before Pilate),
whose works are in Building B. Here too are works by Pál
Szinyei Merse (1845-1920), the country's foremost Impressionist painter
(Picnic in May,
The Skylark)
.
Twentieth-Century Works & Beyond
The greatest painters working in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were Tivadar Kosztka
Csontváry (1853-1919), who has been compared to Van Gogh, and József Rippl-Rónai
(1861-1927), the key exponent of Secessionist painting in Hungary. Among the latter's
greatest works (Building C, 2nd floor) are
Father and Uncle Piacsek Drinking Red
Wine
and
Woman with Bird Cage
. Don't overlook the harrowing depictions of war and
the dispossessed by WWI artist László Mednyánszky (1852-1919;
In Serbia, Soldiers
Resting
) and the colourful, upbeat paintings of carnivals and celebrations by Vilmos Aba-
Novák (1894-1941;
Procession, The Fair at Csikszereda
). On the 3rd floor in Build-
ing C, you'll find the impressive new Shifts, the totally revamped permanent exhibition of
Hungarian art since WWII.
