Prékopa Ágnes (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 31. (Budapest, 2017)
Zsombor JÉKELY: The Museum of Applied Arts in 2016
1. Éva Rónai (Budapest, 1931 — ): Twin Peak, tapestry, 1998, inv. no. 2016.3.1 historical collections as well. Some of the highlights include the large tapestry titled Twin Peak by Eva Rónai, the first piece by the artist in our collection. (Fig. 1) Two sets of furniture from the first half of the 20th century were also acquired: the furnishings of a young girl’s room, designed by Lajos Kozma (1884-1948) around 1910 were purchased, while the office furniture from the studio of Hungarian architect László Wágner (1911-1987), designed and executed around 1935, was donated by his descendants. The Museum of Applied Arts also started cooperating with the Asset Depository Program of the Central Bank of Hungary (Magyar Nemzeti Bank). The aim of this program is to purchase for Hungary artworks with significant artistic value produced by Hungarian or foreign artists that have for one reason or another in previous historic periods ended up abroad, as well as to purchase the most important works of art found in Hungarian estates, to prevent their dispersion. Objects purchased in the framework of the program are put on longterm loan in the national museums of the country. In 2016, the Museum of Applied Arts initiated the purchase of a late eighteenth-century lidded vessel which belongs to a set associated with the Teleki family (see the study by Szabolcs Serfőző in the present volume, pp. 55-66.), as well as the granite desk which Marcell Breuer had designed for his own office in New York (on this, see below). These new purchases of the Central Bank were presented to the public in December 2016. A significant number of objects in the collection of the Museum received conservation treatment, primarily in preparation for various exhibitions organized by the Museum. Thanks to the financial support of the Friends of the Museum of Applied Arts, some large-scale restoration projects could proceed as well. In the Collection of Metalwork, the so-called Gundel centrepiece was restored, which is documented in the study of Veronika Szilágyi, published in the present journal (pp. 105-124.). In the Collection of Furniture, the restoration of the unique and exotic pieces of furniture by Carlo Bugatti is progressing, this time with the full restoration of a large sideboard (restorer: György Németh). Additional objects were restored thanks to our cooperation with the Conservation Department of the Hungarian University of Fine Arts. Provenance research and restitution With new legislation in 2014, the Hungarian government made it easier for descendants of historical families to request the return of objects taken from their family col160
