Szívesen: the Virág Judit Gallery throws open its doors on December 17, 2025, for a two-part art event in Budapest, anchored by the 5th Zsolnay Ceramics Auction and the 17th Postwar and Contemporary Art Auction. Both are paired with a timed online sale designed for live, edge-of-your-seat bidding from home. Venue: 1123 Budapest, Jagelló út 1–3. Mark your calendar for a Wednesday packed with heritage porcelain, modern masters, and fast, rolling lots online that won’t let you look away.
How the timed online auction works
The timed online auction goes live December 17, 2025, at 18:00. Online registration opens November 24, 2025, at 20:32 and closes December 17, 2025, at 23:55. Lots appear in catalog order, each with a one-minute bidding window. As soon as a lot closes, the next one starts automatically—no gaps, no pauses. If someone places a new bid in the last 20 seconds, the clock extends by 20 seconds, keeping things fair and frantic in the best way.
A green background tells you you’re leading. Pink means you’ve been outbid. Gray flashes during the final 10 seconds as a last-call warning. The system pings you when you take the lead and when you’re topped, so you can jump back in. The next lot only begins after the previous one closes, and any unsold works reappear on a summary screen at the end, open for another shot. For smooth sailing, the gallery asks bidders to refresh the page occasionally.
Two auctions under one roof
Zsolnay ceramics have their own cult in Hungary—iridescent glazes, Secessionist curves, and that unmistakable Pécs pedigree. The gallery’s 5th Zsolnay Ceramics Auction lines up decorative and design icons that collectors chase for their color, craft, and historic roots. Side by side, the 17th Postwar and Contemporary Art Auction pulls in the energy of late-20th-century and present-day studios, with paintings, objects, and statements that reflect the region’s shifting decades. Together they span mediums and eras, making December 17 a magnet for both classic taste and current pulse.
Where to stay near Jagelló út
If you’re traveling in for the sale, Buda’s hillside hotels skew green, quiet, and panoramically obsessed. Several options cluster within easy reach of Jagelló út and the Congress and World Trade Center corridor.
– Budai Hotel: A small, family-feel stay set away from the city noise, with a sweeping Budapest panorama from many rooms and the terrace. The summer terrace ranks among the city’s most striking garden spaces, seating up to 30 guests against a rare skyline. Free Wi‑Fi throughout. The main hall can host seated events of up to 100 guests—weddings, family occasions, balls, corporate dinners, banquets, and class reunions—delivered end to end by the staff.
– Cziráky Panzió: On the Buda side atop scenic Széchenyi Hill, this pension offers eight rooms, a landscaped garden, and private parking—homey scale, big views.
– Helios Hotel Panzió: Tucked in Budapest’s green belt with a direct bus into the center, it offers double rooms with comfortable furnishings and postcard views back over the city—an easy base if you’re splitting time between auctions and downtown.
– Hotel Molnár: Two neighboring buildings on Széchenyi Hill place you in one of Buda’s most beautiful, park-like panoramas. Building A: 11 rooms, a restaurant, sauna, and a fitness room. Building B: 12 rooms. Private parking for guests. Quiet, elevated, and practical if you’re in and out all day.
– Jagelló Business Hotel: In Buda’s business quarter, near the M1 and M7 motorways and close to the Budapest Congress and World Trade Center, this 12th-district hotel sits in leafy surroundings with 24 modern rooms. Air-conditioned and soundproof, the rooms come with satellite TV, telephone, minibar, and views stretching from Buda’s green slopes to Pest’s famous landmarks—handy if you want to walk to the gallery.
– Novotel: Think scale—319 thermally and acoustically insulated rooms built to the latest Novotel standard, each with a separate bath and WC. Rooms include color TV with free international channels, pay-per-view video, message functions, radio, telephone, minibar, in-room safe, magnetic key lock, peephole, modem port, and room service. For downtime: an indoor pool with sun terrace, a drink bar, and a hair salon. Joggers can loop the surrounding park or head for the nearby hill paths.
Make a night of it
Budapest’s Buda side lends a calm backdrop to a high-adrenaline auction day. Many hotels here promise those cliff-edge views that make a winter sunset look cinematic, and most bring creature comforts like saunas, massages by appointment, and long breakfast spreads with strong coffee and deep tea lists. If you’re entertaining clients or celebrating a win, several properties handle private dinners and larger banquets with ease.
Plan your bidding
Because the timed online sale layers into the evening schedule, it’s worth confirming your registration window in advance—sign-ups close at 23:55 on the day—and testing your connection. Keep an eye on the color cues as the clock ticks down, and don’t be shy about refreshing the page as advised. If you miss out on a lot, wait for the summary screen—unsold pieces get a second outing.
Why this matters
Zsolnay’s historic ceramics and the region’s postwar and contemporary scene rarely sit side by side with this much focus. Collectors who love the luminous and the modern get a split-screen moment in one evening. And with the timed online auction compressing the action into one-minute bursts—plus those 20-second extensions—it’s both accessible and adrenalized, whether you’re bidding from the floor, a Buda balcony, or your phone across town.
Key details at a glance
– Date: December 17, 2025 (Wednesday)
– Location: Virág Judit Gallery, 1123 Budapest, Jagelló út 1–3
– Timed Online Auction: Starts 18:00
– Online Registration: Opens Nov 24, 2025, at 20:32; closes Dec 17, 2025, at 23:55
– Format: One-minute lots, 20-second extension on last-second bids, color-coded status, auto alerts, unsold lots relisted at the end, refresh recommended
