June 26, 2014
By visiting Museum of Fine Arts Budapest (Szépművészeti Múzeum in Hungarian) is the best way to conclude the last day of our Hungary trip. Situated at Heroes’ Square, this eclectic-neoclassical building has collected all periods of European arts, including my favourite French sculpture Auguste Rodin’s The Age of Bronze (L’Âge d’airain).
By visiting Museum of Fine Arts Budapest (Szépművészeti Múzeum in Hungarian) is the best way to conclude the last day of our Hungary trip. Situated at Heroes’ Square, this eclectic-neoclassical building has collected all periods of European arts, including my favourite French sculpture Auguste Rodin’s The Age of Bronze (L’Âge d’airain).
Free admission with Budapest Card for permanent exhibitions, Museum of Fine Arts Budapest is huge enough for nearly 4-hour tour tour. The gallery at basement holds the second largest collection of Egyptian art in central Europe. It comprises a number of collections bought together by Hungarian Egyptologist Eduard Mahler in the 1930s. The most interesting are mummy alligator and mummy kitties. The alligator can be clearly seen the sharp teeth and details of skin, while kitties are at kneeling position behind the glass. For the mummy coffins, as the same experience at British Museum, those dry fleshes evoke my goose bumps constantly.
The 3000 paintings in the collection offer an
almost uninterrupted survey of the development of European painting from the 13th
to the late 18th centuries, which, are split up into Italian, German, Flemish,
French, English and Spanish art. Rubens’ Mucius
Scaevola Before Porsenna, Sebastian Vrancx An Outdoor Banquet (I purchased the postcard as souvenir) and Gauguin’s
Tahiti ladies collection are all in front of visitors’ gazes.
Due to the prohibition of photo taking, my pictures
are limited at the hallways. When cruising between the galleries, Yale
University’s all-female a cappella group, Whim’n Rhythm, is performing a
60-minute concert at the ground hall. The choir is elevating by the spacious
indoor auditory, perhaps quite a pleasure for certain audiences, still, viewing
paintings and sculptures in a rather quieter environment is what I prefer.
Heroes’ Square (Hősök Tere in Hungarian) is just in the neighbourhood. After
our brains are filled with again too many signifiers, it’s essential to walk
outdoor and enjoy some Vitamin D. The square has
played an important part in contemporary Hungarian history and has been a host
to many political events. Directly behind the cenotaph is a column topped by a statue of the
archangel Gabriel. In his right hand, the angel holds the Holy Crown of St.
Stephen (Istvan), the first king of Hungary. In his left hand, Gabriel holds a
two barred apostolic cross, a symbol awarded to St. Stephen by the Pope in
recognition of his efforts to convert Hungary to Christianity. The statues of
the basement of the column depict the 7 Hungarian chieftains led by prince Árpád.
The regime history is rather unfamiliar to us, but it’s always fun to see
archangel Gabriel and a female statue as Peace Goddess.
The square lies at the out bound end of Andrássy
Avenue next to City Park (Városliget). Taking the metro to Central Market, our
last main attraction before airport, the local and tourism scene concentrate at
this largest interior market of Central Europe. We are already quite hungry at
the moment, so we rush to the second level for this super delicious Hungarian
beef rice with a half liter beer. The tourists and citizens gather and walk in
front of the narrow food stalls, and later proceed to highly tourism souvenir
stores. At the ground level, vegetables departments, spice cells, butcher’s
blocks and deli sections are dancing around us. I love the energetic and vivid
atmosphere of Budapest. Central Market is highly commercial at certain level
indeed, but the smell of local life is haunting in my mind, until now.
Walking along Andrássy Avenue, prolonged antique
bookstores are non-stop. Picking up our luggage at hotel, taking Metro 3 and
then E200 bus directly to Liszt Ferenc Airport, we spend our Huf on smoothies
and beer, use euro on liquor and perfume. Writing postcards and drinking at the rest
area, this Grand Budapest trip is highly eventful, emotional and educational.
Museum of Fine Arts Budapest
Budapest, Dózsa György út 41, 1146
Special Thanks: JMH
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