Art News

Heroes, Kings, Saints: Pictures & Memories of Hungarian History opens at National Gallery

BUDAPEST.- This display presents Hungarian history through pictures and at the same time is closely linked to the reorganization of the 19th century permanent collection of the Hungarian National Gallery. Built primarily on historical paintings and portraits, the exhibition parades the finest works of Hungarian artistry through the lines of the National Anthem and Summons. Historicism was the great trend in 19th century painting; it was seen as a genre capable of expressing with particular sensitivity the major turning points of Hungarian history, the battles of 1848-49, the years of repression and the transformation that attended the Compromise. The exhibition includes works that the general public has rarely had the opportunity of viewing