Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest

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The collection comprises thousands of Hungarian paintings and sculptures of all times from the 10th century right through to the present.
The Gallery is made up of six permanent exhibitions from the mediaeval stone carvings till the artworks of present days. A real treat for art lovers and it is impossible to see all of them in one day. You shoud be selective, and concentrate only to the art works you are most interested in. My favourite is the 20th-Century Painting up to 1945.
Guided tours in English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish are available upon prior request.
On the ground floor of Building C, you can visit the crypt of the Habsburg palatines (viceroys).

Entrance fee 800 HUF, Budapest Card accepted, for details look on website
Opening Hours: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. every day except Monday

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Some of the most comprehensive and beautiful works of arts by Hungarian artists can be found in this museum. There are six galleries representing the “most valuable and critically acclaimed Hungarian art in the world".

A general entrance fee is charged for the permanent galleries and a special fee for the temporary galleries.

NOTE: If you plan to photograph any of the galleries, please make sure to pay the special "photography fee" or you will be highly disappointed to know that the guards will not allow you to take any photos. I had already been to a few other musuems and asked upon purchasing my entrance fee if there was a photography fee.

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The Late Gothic Alterpieces are one of the permanent star exhibits here at the gallery. They are found in the Great Throne Room. The folding alterpieces mainly date to the 15th and early 16th centuries. While the alterpieces are purely gothic, some of the paintings and sculptures that adorn them reveal some Renaissance influence.

The Alterpieces are breathtaking and there is a peace and serenity you find in this room.

NOTE:The second picture is of The Annunciation from Parish Church St. John the Baptist in Kisszeben 1515-1520. The third pic is the High Altar of the Virgin Mary from Csíkmenaság, Transylvania, dated 1543; the fifth pic is statues of St. John, Virgin & Child, St. Peter from the High Alter of Kisszeben 1490-1500.

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I found this to be a most pleasant museum with such a wide range of art, to suit all tastes: Medieval and Renaissance stone carvings, panel paintings and woden sculptures from the Gothic Period; late Renaissance and Baroque art; 19th century paintings of famed Hungarian artists, Mihaly Munkacsy and Paul Laszlo, as well as much 20th century art.

OPEN: Tues - Suns. 10 - 18:00

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One of the perks of visiting the Hungarian National Gallery is that it gives you access to some of the 203 the stately rooms that were built and decorated in Baroque and Rococo styles during the reign of Maria Teresa (1740-1780). Descriptions are given to let visitors know what each room used to be. Established in 1957, the gallery's permanent collection houses Hungarian works of art from the Medieval era to the 20th century and thus serves as an interesting art history lesson. Not knowing much about Hungarian art, I thought it was especially interesting to see how it was influenced by the main European art movements. Temporary exhibitions are also on display.

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Note: it`s possible making photos inside the museum if you pay about 7 EUR. I think that having the possibility to "bring home" such masterpieces well worths this price. The photos of the following tips are all my work.

The National Gallery has the most prestigious collection of the hungarian painting in the country: the biggest part of the most famous works can be seen there.
This museum was moved to the eastern wing of the relentlessly transformed Royal Palace in 1975. In 1982 it recieved another part of the palace in wich you can admire the gothic altar collection (see the tip), while in 2005 also the wing of the Ludwig museum (northern part)was given to the National gallery.
Works of great artists, Viktor Madarász, Gyula Benczúr, Bertalan Székely, Miklós Barabás-just to mention the most celebrated painters- can be found on the first floor dedicated mostly to the XIX. century.
On my images you can see the following works:
Main pic: Vajk`s babtism painted by Gyula Benczúr. Vajk is saint Stephen`s, Hungary`s first king`s pagan name. He was baptized in 1000 A.C. and soon recieved the Holy Crown from the Pope wich is Hungary`s most important treasure.
2nd pic: Women of Eger, painted by Bertalan Székely. It represents the women of Eger fortress that in 1552 resisted to the huge turkish army (about 100.000 soldiers). The brave women fought very hard and they became a legend.
3rd pic, my favourite of all: Mourning of Hunyadi László painted by Viktor Madarász. Hunyadi László was king Mátyás`s (Matthias) brother and he was decapitated by the enemies of the family. I like very much the composition: the well illuminated body is in complete contrast with the two women and this is what makes this painting so creepy.
4th Pic: it represents the reconquest of Buda from the turks in 1686. Also this large painting was made by Gyula Benczúr
4th. pic. Here you can see one part of the first floor. Well it`s everything but nice, I know. Here is a pic of the original aspect of this part of the Royal Palace. I believe that trasforming this beauty in modern style was a real crime...

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Sincerly, if only I could decide it, tis cupola wouldn`t stay there for long, that`s for sure. I can`t wait to see the reconstruction of the original fabulous one. This one isn`t really bad but really there is no comparison between the two. However I must admit that this is the best viewpoint in the whole Castle district. The Fishermen`s bastion, the Bishops garden and the court of the Royal palace gives you great photo shooting opportunities, but only the cupola gives you a 360 degrees full view, so if you want to make really good photos, this is the right choice.
The only problem is that you can go there only if you
1. Pay the entrance fee to the National Gallery (800 HUF-3,20 EUR)+
2. You pay 300 HUF (1,20 EUR) to visit the cupola.
The sight from above speaks for itself-just see the photos-, so paying this not really high fee is highly adviceable.

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The Hungarian National Gallery is housed inside Buda Castle and is one of the institutions through with the Communist government hoped to turn Buda Castle from a symbol of the old régime into a house of culture. Its collection is almost exclusively Hungarian and it frequently organizes special exhibits, some of which showcase new and emerging Hungarian artists. I visited the museum in 2004 (not on my latest trip) and I have to classify its collection along the lines of my much-ranted-about ethnographic museums. The Gallery includes works by nearly anyone and everyone who was Hungarian and even remotely known for their artwork. It is a good show of the various artistic talents of the Hungarian people and the history of artwork in Hungarian lands, but if you are not especially interested in that point, and are just looking for a gallery to learn a bit about Hungarian arts and culture, this may be a bit much. It has sculpture, paintings, stonework and coins, so, in a sense, it has something for everybody. Nevertheless, if you’ve made the trip out to Buda and have decided to make a day of it, it may be a good idea to visit.

The National Gallery is located within Buda Castle and features exclusively Hungarian painters. Many paintings deal with important historic events in Hungarian history - like the Turkish Wars - so some basic knowledge of Hungarian history might be useful. Very worthwhile.

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After the period of the so called historism was over, the impressionism became popular also in Hungary and the painters instead of selecting important historical personalities, portrayed the ordinary man, the life of the countryside, the hills, the rivers and of course the weather.
In the National Gallery, on the first floor in a separated room there is a nice collection of this epoch.
The biggest name of this period is surely Munkácsy Mihály but need to mention also Szinyei Merse Pál, Csontváry Kosztka Tivadar, Deák Ébner Lajos, Fényes Adolf and Ferenczy Károly as well.