Debrecen4U October 24, 2024

Golgotha goes to Budapest, El Greco’s Annunciation to Debrecen

Munkácsy’s masterpiece “Golgotha” will be displayed at the Museum of Fine Arts until April, while Greek painter El Greco’s “Annunciation ” painting can be seen in Debrecen.

The Museum of Fine Arts will commemorate the 180th anniversary of Mihály Munkácsy’s birth with a major exhibition entitled “Munkácsy – The Story of a World Success”. The Déri Museum is lending Munkácsy’s Golgotha to help celebrate the anniversary.

The announcement was made on Friday at the Munkácsy Hall of the museum, attended by László Papp, Mayor of Debrecen, Annamária Vigh, Deputy Director General of the Museum of Fine Arts, János Angi, Director of the Déri Museum, and Irén Éva Fodor, Head of the Déri Museum’s Fine Arts Collection.

Mayor László Papp said that the lending of Munkácsy’s work marks the beginning of a cooperation between the Museum of Fine Arts and the Municipality of Debrecen, in collaboration with the Déri Museum, which will host an outstanding work from the collection of the capital’s museum every year. First of all – from Advent to Epiphany – El Greco’s “Annunciation” will be on display at the Déri Museum.

Annamária Vigh, Deputy Director General of the Museum of Fine Arts, said that their exhibition will present Munkácsy’s life, his journey from a poor carpenter’s boy to a painter prince, and the story of his successes from an extraordinary perspective. She was also delighted that one of the masterpieces from their collection would be on display in the sacral space of the Déri Museum, the Munkácsy Room.

János Angi, Director of the Déri Museum, stressed that the institution is doing its utmost to be a worthy custodian of the works entrusted to it. Therefore, the removal of Golgotha will be preceded by severe preparatory work.

Éva Irén Fodor, Head of the Déri Museum’s Fine Arts Collection, said the Museum of Fine Arts and the Déri Museum have commissioned restoration experts. A thorough condition survey was carried out months earlier.

Before being removed from the wall, the restorers will inspect the painting again and, if necessary, correct any minor defects. After a day’s rest, the painting on the cylinder will be lifted from the dome window by a crane and placed in a climate-controlled crate before being transported to the Museum of Fine Arts by an art transport truck.

Visitors can see the complete “The Christ Trilogy” of Munkácsy until the 2nd of November. The Golgotha will be replaced by a small-scale pre-reproduction of the painting until its return in April.

Source: debrecen.hu | Photo credit: Facebook (Papp László)