Through Four Seasons' Eyes Budapest - IMEX America

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currently on display ranging
from Boulle furniture, Brussels
lace, Viennese, Herend and
Zsolnay porcelain, Tiffany glass,
and period costumes.
Museum of
Ethnography
Néprajzi Múzeum
(V. Kossuth Lajos tér 12;
www.neprajz.hu)
Formerly the Ministry of Justice,
the Museum of Ethnography
features a monumental neo-
Renaissance façade and grand
main hall decorated with marble
columns and ceiling frescoes
by Károly Lotz. The permanent
exhibition chronicles Hungarian
folk art and customs, as well as
village life from the 18th century
to World War I. Temporary shows
of note include the annual ‘World
Press Photo’ exhibit.
Museum of Fine Arts
Szépmuvészeti Múzeum
(XIV. Dózsa György út 41;
www.szepmuveszeti.hu)
Touring exhibits of worldrenowned
masters feature in this
opulent neo-Classical building
adjacent to Heroes’ Square, but
the permanent collection is
reason enough to visit – French
romantics, Spanish Masters, a
wonderful selection of Venetians,
several Brueghels, a handful of
Leonardos and several works
from early Impressionist to post-
Impressionists. Also boasts a
collection of antiquities.
Vasarely Museum
(III. Szentlélek tér 6; www.vasarely.hu)
The Vasarely Museum was
established by the painter
himself, Pécs-born Viktor
Vasarely, to display works from
his extensive collection. He is
credited with inventing Op Art
in the 1960s: his juxtaposition
of colors and patterns created
the illusion of 3D space. Several
examples from this period and
his earlier efforts in commercial
art and graphic design are on
display at the museum which
occupies one of the wings of the
Zichy Castle. About 60 of the
400 works in the archives are on
display at any given time.
Zelnik István
Southeast Asian
Gold Museum
(VI. Andrássy út 110;
www.thegoldmuseum.eu)
Former diplomat Dr István
Zelnik collected numerous
precious artifacts on his travels
throughout Southeast Asia and
most of these are on display at
his museum in the villa district
of Andrássy út. Most are made of
gold and date from prehistoric
times to the 20th century, with
Buddha featuring prominently
throughout. Zelnik’s collection of
gold masks, which is frequently
on loan, is also said to surpass
that of the British Museum.