The Hungarian National Gallery is the country’s largest public collection dedicated to tracing the formation and evolution of Hungarian visual art. Set in Budapest’s dramatic former Royal Palace (Budavári Palota), the gallery not only hosts permanent and temporary exhibitions but also offers guided tours in Hungarian and several foreign languages, themed programs, family days, festivals, and concerts. Younger visitors are catered to with creative workshops, art education activities, and even summer camps designed to inspire a lifelong love of art.
Tribute to Hungary’s Most Influential Painters
On October 18, visitors are warmly invited to celebrate Hungarian Painting Day, focusing on the most influential artists such as Mihály Munkácsy, Pál Szinyei Merse, Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka, and Károly Ferenczy. Masterpieces by these seminal artists anchor the event, accompanied by a special look at the trends driving contemporary art.
Gyula Czimra: Silence, Color, and the Search for Self
October 19 marks the beginning of a deep exploration of “Csend/Élet” (Still/Life), a guided tour of the Gyula Czimra (Czimra Gyula) retrospective. His early charcoal and ink drawings give way to vibrant landscapes, interiors, and self-portraits, reflecting an artist who spent his life searching for himself. Over the years, Czimra’s palette became more muted, and his scenes shifted from external environments to the quiet, ascetic rooms of his own home—spaces evoking both alienation and the safety of intimacy. In his final decades, he produced hauntingly unique visions through which we encounter a self-assured artist finally at peace. The guided tour leads guests chronologically through his remarkable body of work.
Later that day, join the Viadana Chamber Choir under the museum’s first-floor dome for an inspiring Sunday choral concert.
The Familiar Made Exotic: A Subjective Tour
Also on October 19, journalist Nóra Winkler (Winkler Nóra) offers her own personal tour of Czimra’s works. She argues that his paintings transform familiar settings—rooms, streets, landscapes—into spaces charged with intimacy and mystery. According to Winkler, discovering what draws her so deeply to Czimra’s art is a journey in itself—one she shares exclusively with guests.
Emerging from the Shadows
October 21 and 25 each feature curator Marianna Kolozsváry’s (Kolozsváry Marianna) special tour, “Without Shadow,” which refers not only to luminous compositions but also to the previously underappreciated and almost hidden life of Gyula Czimra. This is the artist’s chance to step out of the background and into the full light of critical appreciation.
Bringing Art to Life for Young Minds
From “Tipegők – Golden Autumn” on October 21, where little ones engage with the colors of fall both in paintings and by crafting art from nature’s bounty, to “Color It Again!” (October 22), which transforms autumn leaves into spray-painted collages and sun prints, the Gallery’s workshops immerse children in the creative process. Everything is hands-on and seasonally themed.
During the fall school break (October 28–29), the “Szünetelő” series entertains and educates with programs like “Joyful Artworks” and “Storytelling Altars” tailored for ages 6–9 and 10–13.
History on Canvas and Building Tours
October 25 brings “History on Canvas,” an exploration of the 19th-century historicist trend in Hungarian art, featuring masters like Gyula Benczúr, Viktor Madarász, and Bertalan Székely. The journey continues into modern and contemporary reinterpretations of history.
On November 30, the architectural tour “From Crypt to Dome” invites locals and tourists alike to discover the National Gallery’s treasures, from the Habsburg Palatine Crypt to the panoramic dome and many rarely seen corners of the former palace.
November: Art Education, Workshops, and Cultural Crossovers
The “Small Ladies and Fellows” theme on November 4 lets kids time-travel to the salons and grand homes of yesteryear. November 5 features “Intellectual Fitness – The Beauty of Everyday Life,” celebrating Adolf Fényes’s depictions of sunlit courtyards, tranquil interiors, bustling markets, and the unhurried rhythm of the past, with a creative workshop inspired by what’s on display.
Throughout November, the “Color It Again!” children’s series transforms the gallery into a lively theater, as young visitors dress up, make masks and puppets, write and act in stories, and even design stage sets—becoming kings, queens, farmers, or goose girls.
Art, Dance, and Fashion in Conversation
Events for adults add excitement to the month: a guided tour in Italian on November 7 takes visitors through Hungarian masterpieces from the Middle Ages to today (with a particular focus on the 19th and 20th centuries—and perhaps even a Dante sighting!). That same day features a contemporary dance and fine art fusion in “EX-POSE(S).”
“Constant Change: Fashion Tales on Canvas” (November 8) examines how style and dress have evolved, from baroque wigs to bobbed hair, all reflected through painting. On the same day, the Adolf Fényes (Fényes Adolf) memorial exhibition also serves as a hands-on apron painting workshop.
The Lure of the Mustache
On November 9, join the playful tour “The Great Mustache Panorama,” celebrating facial hair as a symbol of neatness, masculinity, or wild rebellion—exploring history, fashion, and memorable mustachioed and bearded men in art.
Honoring Adolf Fényes
Rounding off November, a range of programs center on Adolf Fényes (Fényes Adolf, 1867–1945), a pillar of Hungarian genre painting. “Look at That, Mom!” tours (November 13 and 20) and a focused walk through the “Pictures of Tranquillity” memorial exhibition (November 15) provide insight into the everyday poetics of his quietly powerful works.
Looking Ahead
Save the date for standout exhibitions running from April 30, 2025 to March 1, 2026: “Breathing Light: Spiritualism, Theosophy and Buddhism at the Turn of the 20th Century in Hungary.” And from May 23 to October 26, 2025, don’t miss “Without Shadow – Gyula Czimra (Czimra Gyula, 1901–1966),” shining new light on a unique and quietly enduring figure in Hungarian art.
The Hungarian National Gallery’s 2025 program promises a whirlwind of art, history, education, and hands-on creativity for all ages—truly unmissable for locals and anyone visiting Budapest.
