"A legendary figure in Hungarian history is King Matthias, the just, who mingled among the people incognito. A series of cultural, gastronomic and academic events is planned to mark the 550th anniversary of his ascension to the throne.The series, called the Renaissance Year, began on the day of culture, 22 January, and will continue for a whole year. It aims to make people aware of the values of the Renaissance era, frequently lost in oblivion, and to compare the artistic, cultural, social and economic revival of the age with our own times. What made the Renaissance become a success story? And what made Hungary an artistic, academic and cultural power at the time of King Matthias? As Galeotto Marzio, the great chronicler of the time, said, anyone wanting to see Europe only had to go to Buda.
The Renaissance Waxworks (V, Váci utca 31/c, until 31 Dec, open Mon-Sun 10 am-10 pm, HUF 1,800/800) presents the Hungarian Renaissance in five scenes using 29 wax figures. The clothes, tapestries and furniture displayed at the exhibition have all been made by hand using contemporary colours, shapes and technologies to give them authenticity.
On 26 March an exhibition opens in the Museum of Applied Arts showing the “dowry” of Beatrix, Matthias’ wife of Italian origin. It focuses on an outstanding area of Italian luxury handicraft from the end of the 15th century, the art of majolica, through objects from the court of King Matthias including large Corvin plates decorated by the coat of arms of the royal couple. (IX, Üllői út 33, until 30 June.)
An exhibition of international standing opened in the Museum of Fine Arts (XIV, Heroes’ Sq, on the left) on the 550th anniversary of the coronation of Matthias Corvinus, Hungary’s great Renaissance king. The title and subject of the exhibition is The Splendour of the Medici – Life and Art in the Renaissance Florence.
About two hundred works of art by the greatest masters from Florentine and other Italian museums are on show, such as paintings by Fra Angelico, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Filippino Lippi, Sandro Botticelli, Andrea Mantegna, Agnolo Bronzino and Giorgio Vasari, and statues and reliefs by Ghiberti, Donatello, Verrocchio, Luca della Robbia and Benvenuto Cellini.
Besides these, a number of unusual exhibits throw light on the life of the Medicis: portraits of family members, paintings of contemporary life in Florence, codices, contemporary models of famous buildings, silks, tapestries, period dresses, armour, masterpieces of furniture making, the art of goldsmiths and glass making as well as many other curiosities. The extent of the Medicis’ interest in the arts is demonstrated by artefacts collected from beyond the Alps, and even from Africa and Asia, which are also on view here."
Source: Hungarystartshere.com
23.05.2008