Talks to keep Christ before Pilate in Debrecen broke down as the two sides failed to reach an agreement on extending the painting’s loan period.

Nehéz said the painting’s long-term lease is up at the end of July, and since it needs to be prepared for the overseas flight, visitors have until Sunday to see the three paintings together.

Ecce Homo! (1896) is owned by the Hungarian state, Golgotha (1884) is in the ownership of Hungarian-born US art collector Imre Pákh, while Christ before Pilate (1881) belongs to the Art Gallery of Hamilton, in Canada.

The Human Resources Ministry said the government is committed to keeping the Christ Trilogy together and the Justice Ministry is currently drafting a bill on regulating the acquisition of artworks with a view to eventually purchasing the work.

Commenting on developments, Pákh told MTI that “no one negotiated substantively with the Hamilton gallery on purchasing the Pilate painting.” Pákh said he had learned in a telephone conversation with the director of the Hamilton gallery on Thursday that the Hungarian side had not given a reply to an offer to sell the painting and no negotiations had taken place.

“It appears that there is no interest in Hungary for Munkácsy’s painting and it is very sad that in the year of the 170th anniversary of the painter’s birth the Trilogy will be separated,” he said.

Source www.hungarymatters.hu

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