Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 26. (Budapest, 2008)
Events 2007
welcome. The exhibition remained open until 1 July. The Museum of Applied Arts is able to boast the world's second richest collection of Ottoman-Turkish carpets. This extremely valuable assemblage is rarely on show to the public, although Ferenc Batári, its curator who died recently, long planned its display in a permanent exhibition. On 17 September, Ottoman Turkish Carpets in the Collection of the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts. In Memóriám Ferenc Batári, a high-standard exhibition presenting fortyfour pieces, attempted to satisfy the expectations of researchers, collectors and art lovers at home and abroad. At the opening, an address of welcome was given by Umur Apaydin, the Republic of Turkey's ambassador to Budapest, while the exhibition was opened by Géza Fehérvári, Professor Emeritus at the School of African and Oriental Studies, University of London. Emese Pásztor, the organiser of the show, wrote the catalogue, in which could be read not only a study entitled '16 th and 17 th Century Written Sources on OttomanTurkish Rugs in Transylvania and the Kingdom of Hungary', but also a history of the Ottoman Turkish carpets collection at the Museum of Applied Arts. The volume presented the more important types of rugs, and also gave detailed descriptions of the works displayed. The opening of the exhibition coincided with the Budapest meeting of the 13 th International Congress of Turkish Art (ICTA), held at the Hungarian National Museum. A visit to the show of Ottoman Turkish Carpets proved to be one of the highlights of the Congress. Later, in February 2008, a smaller lecture-series on Turkish art was also held at the Museum. The exhibition has won the Opus mirabile prize of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, as one of the best exhibitions of 2007. In connection with the City Mission to Budapest, the Incoronata (the Cultural Centre at the Matthias Church) organised, between 16 September and 23 September, 'Sacred Art Week', during the course of which many Budapest museums, cultural institutions and Church institutions awaited visitors with exhibitions, programmes and concerts. Linking in to this series of events, the art historian Anna Rákossy organised, from material belonging to the Department of Goldsmith's Art, a mini-exhibition entitled The Holy Family. The Museum of Applied Arts had the honour of being chosen as the venue for the Mission's festive opening, which took place in the presence of Cardinal Péter Erdő, Primate of Hungary and Archbishop of Esztergom and Budapest. On 25 October, the Museum celebrated the III th anniversary of the inauguration of its fine Art Nouveau-style building, an event recalled by János Schiffer, M.P. and member of the Hungarian Parliament's Cultural Committee. Entitled 111 Years, 111 Images, this series of photographs placed on the walls of the building from the ground floor to the second floor has, from this day on, recalled the history of the Museum. The pictures were selected by Zsolt Somogyi from the ample documentation kept in the Museum's Archive. In the afternoon, visitors could join an exclusive tour of the building entitled 'Palace: From Cellars to Attics', while in the evening they could attend a concert given in the building by the pianist Alex Szilasi. On the very same day (25 October), the Museum's programme was further enriched by the opening of yet another exhibition: a show organised by the Cultural Foundation for Textile Art from wall and mini-textiles displayed at the 2 Szombathely Textile Triennale. This exhibition was opened by
