Prékopa Ágnes (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 30. (Budapest, 2016)
Zsombor Jékely: The Museum of Applied Arts in 2013-15
ments so crucial to Lechner’s work, the publications which inspired him, and examples of the Zsolnay ceramic in which they were realised were also presented. One of the rooms evoked the world of the Japan Coffee House, Lechner’s second home, another accommodated a panoramic movie of his major works. The exhibition was accompanied by a book, which consists of an introductory essay, pictures and the list of exhibited objects. The pictures, especially numerous, are partly reproductions of Lechner’s plans and drawings, partly modern photographs, specifically produced for the book and exhibition. The book, a joint publication of the Museum of Applied Arts and the Institute of Art History, Research Centre for the Humanities of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, was coordinated and edited by József Sisa. It was published in both a Hungarian and an English version. The exhibition, which remained on view for much of 2015, was reviewed in volume 74 (2015) of the Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, by Ilona Sármány- Parsons. Treasures of Ancient China 6 February - 19 April 2015 The exhibition included about ninety objects on loan from prominent museums in China, and it covered five thousand years of Chinese history from the Neolithic age to the last ruling dynasty. An exhibition of this scale has never been displayed in Central Europe - now it was shown at only two venues, in Prague and in Budapest. Visitors were able to see archaeological finds from the tombs of the aristocracy from the time of the first millennium BC. Two life-size soldiers from the famous ‘terracotta army’ of the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty were also displayed there. The second part was devoted to the cultural boom in the period between the turn of the millennium and the tenth century AD. The last part presented the arts and crafts from the period of the approximately five hundred year reign of the last two dynasties, including clothing and beautiful porcelain. The material came from the Shaanxi History Museum, the Nanjing Municipal Museum, and the Chengde Palace Museum. Despite the short opening period, the exhibition proved to be very popular with the Hungarian public. 6. View of the exhibition Treasures of Ancient China, 2015 151
