Museums on Hõsök tere
The eclectic building of the Museum of Fine Arts,
completed in 1906, was designed by Albert Schíckedanz
and Fülöp Herzog. Above the wide flight of
stairs, eight plus four Corinthian columns support the
tympanum, the relief of which is a copy of the group
on the western pediment of the Temple of Zeus at
Olympia and depicts the fight of Centaurs and Lapiths.
Various historical styles characterise the interior halls.
The eclectic building of the
Art Gallery, reminiscent
of a Greek temple, stands opposite the Museum of
Fine Arts and was designed by the same artists. Built
in 1895, its most characteristic feature is the coloured
ceramic ornamentation. The National Fine Arts
Exhibition is held here every other year, as are other
temporary exhibitions, large and small. Near Hôsök
tere Dózsa György út widens out; parades and popular
meetings are held here. In the section behind the Art
Gallery rises the grandstand; its relieves by the sculptor
Sándor Mikus depict work.
When the
Museum of Fine Arts was established, the
Hungarian government bought collections from rich
aristocratic families and prelates. The collection has
since been enriched by further purchases and donations.
The collections in the Museum comprise an Egyptian
department, a Greek and Roman collection, a Gallery
of Old Masters, an exhibition of Old Statues, a Modern
Foreign Gallery, a collection of Modern Sculptures,
a collection of Twentieth Century Art, and a
collection of Drawings. Hungarian works of art are
exhibited not here, but in the
Hungarian National Gallery