The Hungarian National Gallery is kicking off 2026 with a packed calendar of guided tours in Hungarian and English, spanning permanent collections and blockbuster temporary shows. Located at 2 Szent György Square in the Buda Castle complex, the museum is Hungary’s largest public collection tracing the rise and evolution of Hungarian fine art. Photography is under the copyright of the Museum of Fine Arts – Hungarian National Gallery. Visitors can call for details and plan around options for nearby accommodation and dining.
Spotlight on Lajos Tihanyi (Tihanyi Lajos)
Lajos Tihanyi, the restless charmer of Hungarian modernism, takes center stage across multiple events. Rebellious Forms, Bold Colors – The Art of Lajos Tihanyi anchors the schedule on 2026.01.29, 01.31, 02.08, 02.11–02.12, and 02.07, with a dedicated English-language tour on 2026.02.13 under the same title. On 2026.01.30, art historian Blanka Bán leads Phenomenon: This Was Lajos Tihanyi. Writer and art historian Rita Halász guides Budapest–Berlin–Paris: Lajos Tihanyi’s Road to Abstraction on 2026.02.06, while 2026.02.05 pairs culture pros Nóra Winkler and Tünde Topor for Lajos Tihanyi, the Restless Charmer. There’s even a French-language event on 2026.02.08: Budapest–Berlin–Paris. L’art de Lajos Tihanyi.
Adolf Fényes (Fényes Adolf), Silence, and Love
Running in parallel, the gallery delves deep into Adolf Fényes. The monographic show The Images of Silence. Adolf Fényes (1867–1945) Memorial Exhibition runs 2025.10.10–2026.03.15, complemented by guided tours on 2026.02.07 and 02.21, plus a curatorial tour by Ágnes Horváth on 2026.02.15. Online fans aren’t left out: there’s a virtual tour of the Fényes show on 2026.02.10.
Valentine’s season gets a painterly twist. On 2026.02.14, The Most Beautiful Hungarian Paintings of Love leads visitors through passionate highlights, with music lovers invited to a musical tour with Ádám Bősze and Gábor Bellák. The same day features a bonus lecture by art historian Gergely Barki: Two or None: Doublings and Hiatuses in the Oeuvre of Lajos Tihanyi.
Big Shows Across Winter
Beyond Tihanyi and Fényes, the winter program reaches widely. From 2025.11.06 to 2026.03.01, Endre Tót’s Night Visit at the Museum plays with conceptual wit after hours. TIHANYI 140. Lajos Tihanyi (1885–1938) Retrospective spans 2025.11.21–2026.02.15, feeding into the season’s guided tours. Family-friendly creative workshops pulse through January and February: Color It Anew! – museum workshop for kids pops up on 2026.01.28, 02.04, 02.11, 02.18, and 02.25. Look, Mom! – The Beauty of the Human Body arrives 2026.02.05 and 02.26, with an English version, Look at That, Mom! – The Beauty of the Human Body, on 2026.02.19.
Tours, Talks, and Hands-On
January 2026 rounds out with Mom, Look! – The Silence Speaks on 2026.01.29 and a writer-led, subjective tour, Embroidered in Concrete by Rita Halász on 2026.01.31. February opens with a Sunday choir concert on 2026.02.01 and a pre-announced tour for the group The Eight (Nyolcak) the same day. Online offerings continue on 2026.02.03 with a virtual tour of the Tihanyi exhibition, then return on 2026.02.10 for Fényes.
Art-making gets tactile with Create! – Naked Reality on 2026.02.07 and Nude Sculptures from the Turn of the Century on 2026.02.22. Carnival season hits the castle with Adventure in the Gallery – Carnival Transformation on 2026.02.21. For little ones, Toddlers – Venetian Carnival charms on 2026.02.10, and Preschoolers in the Gallery – How Colorful! arrives 2026.02.24. Architecture fans can climb from crypt to dome on 2026.02.08 with a building tour from the crypt to the cupola.
Key Dates at a Glance
– 2026.01.29: Rebellious Forms, Bold Colors – The Art of Lajos Tihanyi; Mom, Look! – The Silence Speaks
– 2026.01.30: Phenomenon: This Was Lajos Tihanyi (Blanka Bán)
– 2026.01.31: Rebellious Forms, Bold Colors; Embroidered in Concrete – subjective tour by writer Rita Halász
– 2026.02.01: Sunday Choir Concert; The Eight (Nyolcak) – pre-announced guided tour
– 2026.02.03: Online tour of the Tihanyi show
– 2026.02.04: Color It Anew! – workshop for kids
– 2026.02.05: Lajos Tihanyi, the Restless Charmer (Nóra Winkler, Tünde Topor); Look, Mom! – The Beauty of the Human Body
– 2026.02.06: Budapest–Berlin–Paris: Tihanyi’s Road to Abstraction (Rita Halász)
– 2026.02.07: Adolf Fényes’s Art; Rebellious Forms, Bold Colors; Create! – Naked Reality
– 2026.02.08: Budapest–Berlin–Paris. L’art de Lajos Tihanyi; Rebellious Forms, Bold Colors; Building Tour – From Crypt to Dome
– 2026.02.10: Toddlers – Venetian Carnival; Online tour of the Adolf Fényes exhibition
– 2026.02.11–12: Rebellious Forms, Bold Colors
– 2026.02.11: Color It Anew! – workshop for kids
– 2026.02.13: Visita guidata in italiano; Rebellious Forms, Bold Colors – guided tour in English
– 2026.02.14: Love Is in the Air; The Most Beautiful Hungarian Paintings of Love; musical tour with Ádám Bősze and Gábor Bellák; Gergely Barki bonus lecture
– 2026.02.15: Adolf Fényes’s Art – curatorial tour by Ágnes Horváth
– 2026.02.18: Color It Anew! – workshop for kids
– 2026.02.19: Look at That, Mom! – The Beauty of the Human Body (English)
– 2026.02.21: Adventure in the Gallery – Carnival Transformation; Adolf Fényes’s Art
– 2026.02.22: Nude Sculptures from the Turn of the Century
– 2026.02.24: Preschoolers in the Gallery – How Colorful!
– 2026.02.25: Color It Anew! – workshop for kids; Mental Fitness – Sculpture Brought to Life
– 2026.02.26: Look, Mom! – The Beauty of the Human Body
– 2026.02.28: The Taste of Sunshine – curatorial tour by art historian Edit Plesznivy
Where to Stay Nearby
The Buda Castle neighborhood brims with stays steps from the exhibitions. Boutique hotels by the Danube offer panoramic rooms in the heart of Budapest, a 10-minute walk from Buda Castle, Matthias Church, and Fisherman’s Bastion—UNESCO World Heritage gems. The Chain Bridge links straight to Pest’s business quarter, shopping streets, cafés, and wine bars.
Buda Castle Hotel nestles on a quiet side street of the historic Castle District on the river’s Buda side, a UNESCO-listed area since 1987, packed with culinary spots, cultural experiences, and sights. Budavár Panzió sits at the foot of Fisherman’s Bastion near Matthias Church, right inside the World Heritage zone. For value in the center, Gold Hotel Budapest offers air-conditioned rooms with LCD TVs, minibars, hairdryers, and free Wi‑Fi. Or go all in at Hilton Budapest beside Fisherman’s Bastion and Matthias Church, where sleek interiors meet remnants of a 13th-century Dominican monastery. Its Dominican Courtyard hosts open-air events, while rooms frame knockout views of the Danube, the elegant bridges, Margaret Island, Parliament, Pest’s grand skyline, and the Buda Hills.
Getting There
All events are in Budapest unless noted, at the Hungarian National Gallery in Buda Castle. For timings, languages, and booking, call the museum. Families, art lovers, and architecture buffs will find a slot—on-site, online, and even in multiple languages—throughout January and February.
