The ELTE Heritage Coordination team, organized by Bianka Kovács-Molnár, paid a professional visit to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences building, where we toured the exhibitions titled “Canon, Memory, Cult” and „The Treasures of the 200-Year-Old Academy” together, guided by curator Zsuzsa Sidó.
The program also provided insight into the history of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The institution housed Hungary’s first publicly accessible art gallery, which is considered one of the earliest examples of museum exhibition spaces in the country. The unique atmosphere of the exhibition was created by the works of art and legacy artifacts placed against Pompeian red walls. During the visit, among others, numerous portraits by Miklós Barabás were on display, evoking important figures in Hungarian scientific and cultural memory. The entire exhibition was permeated by the motto attributed to István Széchenyi: “Cheerfulness in the face of adversity.”
Following the tour of the exhibition, a brief professional discussion was held on issues related to heritage coordination, during which experts from ELTE and Zsuzsa Sidó, the collection manager at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, shared their institutional experiences and best practices.