Kárpáti Zoltán - Liptay Éva - Varga Ágota szerk.: A Szépművészeti Múzeum közleményei 101. (Budapest, 2004)
ANNUAL REPORT 2004 - A 2004. ÉV - PERMANENT EXHIBITIONS - ÁLLANDÓ KIÁLLÍTÁSOK - ILDIKÓ EMBER, ESZTER FABRY, AND ANNAMÁRIA GOSZTOLA: New Permanent Exhibition of the Old Masters' Gallery
In three phases lasting through to the end of 2004, we opened eleven halls and sixteen cabinets on the first floor, as well as six smaller new halls on the second floor, encompassing units of the exhibition which we will treat in detail in the following. 2 The essential part of the conception of the new permanent exhibition constituted the elaboration of internal proportions and of the order of the arrangement of different schools. After having designated the area for the various schools, curators worked freely: Ilona Balogh and Eszter Fabry on the halls and cabinets presenting the Early German and Primitive Flemish Masters concluding with the Renaissance, while Ilona Balogh and Annamária Gosztola arranged the exhibition of German and Austrian paintings from the Baroque era, Annamária Gosztola the halls and cabinets of Flemish Baroque, and Ildikó Ember the sequence of Dutch halls. Our aim, naturally, was to produce a permanent exhibition that would give an overview of the history of European painting, according to a chronological arrangement of the most prominent pieces of the collection. Although the potential of the collection and the natural necessity of emphasising its strengths have determined this survey's basis, it also reflects recent scholarly achievement, as well as the personal preferences and taste of the curators. The reconstruction has also substantially transformed the aesthetic appearance of the halls in the gallery. The light-coloured wall harmonises with the cover of the naturally hucd parquet floor, and the dark brown of the renovated panelling constitutes a powerful contrast with these. Nevertheless, we can also thank the opportunity provided by the reconstruction for the six new exhibition halls on the second floor, where we presented seventeenth century Dutch painting. By relocating an entire art historical period here, "banishing" it from the main level of the gallery, an opportunity presented itself to ensure an airy, truly elegant appearance to the exhibition on the piano nobile. The prevailing voice was called by the German Renaissance and Baroque, followed by the Flemish halls, and fortunately - arranged a bit later for a number of reasons - the Spanish section also accordingly joined them here. 3 The Early German and Austrian pictures found their home in one large hall and three cabinets (fig. 52). Despite our aim to present the evolution of painting chronologically in these areas, at some points we relinquished this principle in deference to stylistic correlations or aesthetic demands, since our goal was to produce an exhibition with a pleasing atmosphere, which was visually attractive to the viewer, rather than a strictly didactic show. At the same time, we endeavoured to have the greatest possible number of works in good condition on view. 2 We inaugurated with ceremonial vernissages the halls of the German schools on 30 September 2003, the exhibition of seventeenth century Dutch Masters on 30 March 2004, and the exhibition sections presenting early Netherlandish and Flemish painting on 2 June 2004 for the visitors. 3 On the new Spanish section of the exhibition on view since 4 April 2005, see the article to be published in the forthcoming number of our Bulletin.
