The Hungarian National Gallery is the largest public collection documenting and showcasing the birth and evolution of fine art in Hungary. Inside its grand halls you’ll find permanent and temporary exhibitions, guided tours in Hungarian and foreign languages, themed programs, family days, festivals, and concerts. Kids get their own creative workshops, art education sessions, and summer camps—hands-on, story-rich, and designed to spark imagination.
Kids Step Onstage
November kicks off with Color It Anew!—a museum workshop where theater moves into the Gallery. Children step into artworks, try on roles, write and perform stories, and craft the essentials of stage magic: masks, puppets, headpieces, even set designs. Kings and queens, farm lads and goose-girl heroines—it’s make-believe with paints, paper, and a big dose of play. Budapest, November 26.
Tihanyi at 140: Bold Forms, Daring Colors
On November 27, a special retrospective marks the 140th birthday of Lajos Tihanyi, showcasing major paintings, graphic works, and personal objects. Having lost his hearing in childhood, Tihanyi forged color and form from silence and found his voice in paint. Without academic training, he built a striking visual language that made him a key figure of the Nyolcak (The Eight) and one of the most original Hungarian painters of the 20th century. Budapest.
“Mom, Look!” Sunlit Everyday Life
Also on November 27 in Budapest, an intimate dive into Adolf Fényes. His canvases let sunlight sweep through the humblest interiors, infuse market scenes with fairytale vitality, and elevate daily life to equal footing with history painting. As we wander his landscapes and cozy interiors, questions arise: how does a peasant courtyard sit under the shadow of French Impressionism? What links a veranda in Szolnok to Paris? And what do these century-old genre scenes whisper about ordinary joys and sorrows?
Curator’s Cut: Tihanyi 140
On November 28, curator Mariann Gergely guides you through Tihanyi’s legacy. For decades, Hungarian viewers knew his work only from black-and-white reproductions. Fifty-five years ago, his estate made a dramatic journey from Paris into the National Gallery’s collection. Budapest.
Fényes, Under the Magnifying Glass
November 29 brings art historian Gábor Bellák’s talk: The Last Painter of Beauty: Adolf Fényes. The lecture series expands the exhibition experience with details that don’t fit on wall texts—stories, hidden connections, and curiosities that only show up under the metaphorical magnifying glass. Budapest.
From Crypt to Dome
The former royal palace hides wonders. On November 30, take the building tour that threads together the Gallery’s history and collection, the Habsburg Palatine Crypt, the panorama-rich dome, and other architectural treasures. Budapest.
Winter Journeys for Kids
December 3 starts a new run of Color It Anew!, inviting kids on a wintry tour through Hungarian art: icy landscapes, warm homes, and magical stories. Along the way, Saint Nicholas, Mary, and baby Jesus appear. After gallery games and conversations, the workshop channels those winter tales into hands-on creation. Budapest. The same program returns December 10 and 17.
Museum+ Tihanyi
Also on December 3, MUSEUM+ focuses on Tihanyi: a big-hearted friend and revolutionary artist. Discover how the public saw his work in monochrome until the 1970s and how his estate traveled home the hard way. Budapest.
“Mom, Look!” Maternal Parallels
On December 4, the season turns toward the most depicted mother and child—Mary and Jesus—across paintings, panels, and sculptures. Spot the echoes of this timeless theme from the Middle Ages into modern and contemporary art. Budapest.
Create! A Golden Holiday
December 6 is Saint Nicholas Day—perfect for glow. Learn Saint Nicholas’s legend, then dive deep into gilded Gothic altars and the history of gilding. Afterward, decorate small table runners with altar-inspired motifs using gold paint—sparkling additions to any holiday table. Budapest.
Tihanyi, Guided and Illuminated
December 6 and December 11 bring more guided tours of the Tihanyi 140 exhibition, spotlighting the artist who shaped singular forms from silence and joined The Eight without any academy to tame him. Budapest.
Advent, Awe, and an Unusual Guide
December 7 features Waiting and the Miracle of Birth—writer and art historian Rita Halász leads a special tour steeped in quiet Advent magic. Budapest.
Mind Fitness: A Christmas Miracle
On December 10, settle into the Gallery’s calm: paintings and altars help conjure the season’s spiritual depth and beauty. Then take that inspiration to the workshop. Budapest.
Guides and Languages
December 12 offers The Human Behind the Palette, art historian Gergely Barki’s unconventional tour through Tihanyi 140, plus an Italian-language guided visit to the highlights of Hungarian art, from the Middle Ages to today, with a special focus on the 19th and 20th centuries. Keep an eye out—Dante might be waiting among the canvases. Budapest.
Fényes in a Festive Glow
On December 13, a guided tour stirs every ingredient of the holidays—flavors, snowy vistas, toys under the tree, angelic music, and the scent of fir. The Fényes memorial exhibition is the star, with supporting acts from the permanent collection. Budapest.
Advent Architecture, Then Tots and Shooting Stars
December 14 reprises the building tour from crypt to dome. On December 16, Tots—Shooting Stars leads little ones through starlight into the world of age-old altars. There’s angels’ song, a stroll through winter landscapes, crunchy fresh snow underfoot, and the magic of white paint—then festive making in the workshop. Budapest.
Motherhood, Then Csontváry
December 18 turns to Look at That, Mom!—Reflections of Motherhood, tracing mothers and children from medieval echoes into modern and contemporary times. On December 20, Family Day—Holiday Prep with Csontváry—mixes art, play, and seasonal spirit into one standout program. Budapest.
One More for Tihanyi
On December 21, the Tihanyi 140 guided program returns, celebrating a life that converted silence into daring color, grounded in the radical energy of The Eight—and still speaking loudly today. Budapest.
