Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 25. (Budapest, 2007)
Events 2006
century. At the opening, which considered an important cultural event of late 2006, Imre Takács, director-general of the Museum, and Stefan Otrubay, director-general of the Esterházy Privatstiftung, welcomed the guests. After this, in their speeches opening the exhibition, Ferenc Mádl, former President of the Republic of Hungary, and István Hiller, Hungary’s Minister of Culture and Education, cast light on the historical and social circumstances in which this matchless aristocratic collection first came into being and then evolved into one of the most precious treasures in the nation’s cultural heritage. The editing of the 220-page exhibition catalogue, published in a Hungarian-language version and a German-language one, was performed by András Szilágyi in co-operation with Klára Szegzárdy-Csengery. András Szilágyi also wrote the catalogue’s introductory study and curated the exhibition. The Museum gave pleasure to its visitors not just with its exhibitions and with the events connected to them, but also with a few additional events. In 2006, Museums Night was organised around ‘chinoiserie’ artefacts playing an important role in the exhibition ‘Collectors and Treasures.’ The ‘Dance of the Chinese Dolls’ from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite opened the evening programme, the actress Kati Takács read from Sándor Weöres’s ‘Tao Te King’ and Gábor Cserkész presented the Chinese tea ceremony and its accessories. The whole night long, the Mosaic teahouse awaited those seeking refreshments, while those wishing to create something could make Chinese fans. The Museum building produces amazement in all its visitors, especially when with the help of an understanding guide they are able to discover its hidden beauties. On three weekends in October, the month of architecture, those interested could take part in an exclusive tour of the building led by Éva Csenkey. Entitled ‘Palace from Top to Bottom’, it gave the visitors the opportunity to explore the building from the cellars right the way up to the attic rooms, in other words all the way up to the roof. The year came to an end with the holding of the Christmas applied arts fair entitled ‘HANDICRAFTS’. This event has now been running for a decade. Judit Pataki 174
