Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 25. (Budapest, 2007)

Ildikó PANDÚR: The Role of Gyula Jungfer in Hungary's National Exhibition of 1885

the circumstances of its creation and organisation. It also summarised the lessons learned from this exhibition. From the viewpoint of Gyula Jungfer’s role in Hungary, more information on this exhibition, which can be regarded as a ‘dress rehearsal’ for the Millennial Exhibition of 1896, is perhaps appropriate.7

The purpose of the 1885 event, which was organised on the pattern of the expositions frequent in the second half of the 19th century, was to give the fullest summary hitherto of Hungary’s material and intellectual products (namely those of its economy and culture). ‘One of the bright sides of our exposition is that it is universal [i.e. covering everything]. Its organisers have staged it in a highly praiseworthy manner, since it was not enough for them merely to honour our industry and agriculture. In addition, boldly

and deliberately, they wished to report to the whole world on the state of the nation with regard to material and intellectual factors, namely its culture taken as a whole.’8 At the exhibition, which had been long planned, agriculture and animal husbandry enjoyed great weight, ‘but the nation espoused the cause of the National Exhibition and, according to its abilities, attempted to make it a success... There one could see Mór Jókai, the nation’s great writer, as he put up his bookcase containing the products of his great mind in the midst of works fashioned by the rough hands of tradesmen.’9

Almost immediately after the passage of Law XII of 1883 on the holding of the exhibition, preparations began under the direction of a National Exhibition Committee.10 This was headed by Count Jenő Zichy.11 The exhibition office was in the Nakó building

Fig. 2 Plan of the exhibition

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