Prékopa Ágnes (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 32. (Budapest, 2018)
Zsuzsa MARGITTAL The Museum of Applied Arts in 2017
decorative painting and wrought iron to address the above questions. (Fig. 6) Restoring Art Nouveau—international conference and workshop 6-7 November 2017 The Museum of Applied Arts hosted an international conference entitled ‘Restoring Art Nouveau’. During the conference, Hungarian and foreign presenters discussed some successful restoration projects in the Danube region. Organizers of the conference made sure that questions and cases were presented through the lenses of a variety of experts working in different fields; thus among the presenters were art historians, architects, engineers, restorers and monument preservation specialists. The examples presented included the Kirche am Steinhof in Vienna, the ceramic decorations in the hall of the Museum of Applied Arts, the Black Eagle Palace in Nagyvárd (now Oradea, Romania) and the synagogue of Szabadka (now Subotica, Serbia). The keynote lecture was about the restoration of the Glasgow School of Art following the fire of 2014, by Peter Trowles, Mackintosh Curator Glasgow School of Art. Christmas trees decorated by applied artists in the Nagytétény Mansion 2 December 2017 - 6 January 2018 During Advent each year, an exhibition of exceptional Christmas trees can be viewed alongside the most beautiful examples of European and Hungarian furniture. Renowned applied artists employ their own unique approaches to the decoration of Christmas trees. Behind Closed Doors—Lectures about research at the Museum A lecture series launched in 2016 by the head of the library of the Museum of Applied Arts, Ágnes Prékopa, revives a tradition begun in 1900 of free educational presentations for the public. On eight occasions in 2017, curators and restorers held lectures on their ongoing research. On the third Monday of every month, the series ‘Behind Closed Doors—Lectures about research at the Museum’ was held at 3:00 PM in the library reading room. In the last few months the series title has reflected not only the fact that the museum is closed on Mondays, but that it is also now closed for reconstruction. Events accompanying the Breuer—at Home Again exhibition Numerous related programs helped to enhance the visitors experience of the exhibition, for example, an architectural walking tour in the Pasarét district that included Bauhaus buildings built between the World Wars and a Farkas Molnár house. Lectures and round-table discussions were organized under the title Encounters with Breuer and exclusive guided tours were offered. A unique initiative was the subjective guided tours series, in which the usual art historical approach was set aside, and writers, actors and artists talked about their personal connections and experiences with the items on exhibition. Meanwhile, the museum’s educational programs helped children to learn about wood and master the fundamentals of furniture making in a playful format. 131
