Budapest's Mucsarnok art gallery marks 120th anniversary with major exhibition

Budapest's Mucsarnok art gallery marked its 120th anniversary on Monday with the opening of an exhibition entitled "The First Golden Age" that presents works from the five countries that made up the historical Austro-Hungarian monarchy.

Focusing on the final 30 years of the 19th century, it is offering nearly 200 works by the artists of the times including Hungary's Mihaly Munkacsy, Austria's Hans Makart, Poland's Jan Matejko, Moravia's (Czech) Alfons Mucha, and Croatia's Oton Ivekovic.

Art historian Ilona Sarmany-Parsons, curator of the exhibition, said the presentation was designed as a visual symphony in four movements, the first of which focuses on Makart, Matejko, and Munkacsy as the three giants of historical themes, whose combined works represented the monarchy at the Paris World's Fair of 1878.

The second movement shows historicism together with realism and covers the 1880s, followed by the psychological twists of the final decade of the 19th century, introducing audiences to the Croatian, Bohemian and Moravian (Czech), Polish, Hungarian, and Austrian artists of the time.

The final movement, said Sarmany-Parsons, was a loss of illusion, and was marked by more talented artists than the number that domestic markets could absorb. Some artists continued portraying reality, while others chose the decorative arts, specifically art nouveau.

The exhibition will remain open until March 12, 2017, and also offers insights into contemporary Hungarian art with these paintings being shown in a separate presentation in the adjoining rooms. Endit