Ferenc Hopp Museum of East Asian Art in Budapest

The Museum of East Asian Art in Budapest is one of the most interesting attractions, with large collections, various educational courses and a real Eastern atmosphere.

History of the founding of the Museum of East Asian Art

It was founded in 1919 by Ferenc Hopp (1833-1919), who was a company owner, traveler, collector and patron of the arts. In his will, he left a large oriental collection of about 4,000 objects to the state to establish a museum of oriental art.

The collection was housed and exhibited in the owner’s villa on Andrássy Street, which has operated as a museum since 1923. It was the only museum of oriental art in Hungary at the time of its foundation and retains this position today.

The garden surrounding the villa is intended to reflect the oriental atmosphere. Today, as before, the garden is an organic part of the museum’s daily life, as it periodically hosts exhibitions and displays.

Key facts about the Museum of East Asian Art:

Creating a museum collection

Ferenc Hopp acquired works of oriental art during his travels around the world and at major world fairs. Absorbed by his interest in Asian art, Hopp turned to the advice of a young art historian and orientalist, Zoltán Felvinczi Takács, while developing his collection. Felvinczi Takács later became the first director of the museum and contributed greatly to its development.

After the museum was founded, the collection grew through donations, purchases and transfers from other museums. Today, the collection contains approximately 30,000 artefacts originating from China, Japan, India, Southeast Asia, Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, Korea and the Middle East.

The Ferenc Hopp Museum of Asian Art hosts temporary exhibitions that aim to present the entire Asian collection, focusing on various themes. A more comprehensive presentation of the collection is realized within the framework of the planned permanent exhibition.

The Museum of East Asian Art cooperates with the Budapest Museum of Applied Arts, which houses its reserve collections and occasionally hosts some of its temporary exhibitions.

East Asian Art Museum Complex

The museum consists of two separate exhibition buildings: the Ferenc Hopp Museum itself, located on the capital’s main cultural street, and the György Ráth Museum, a five-minute walk from the former. The former complex houses the library, documentation department and temporary exhibitions of the museum, while the latter hosts permanent exhibitions. Both buildings are surrounded by gardens, allowing exhibitions to be opened in the summer.

Since 2002, the Ferenc Hopp Museum has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the György Ráth Museum is under protection.

Library of the Museum of East Asian Art

The museum has its own reference library, the only one in the country that specializes in Oriental art. It also has a documentation department, which not only preserves documentation of exhibitions and other events, but also compiles a valuable archive of photographs and documentary materials related to Oriental studies.

It is the only institution in Hungary that specializes in Oriental art, which preserves and distributes documents related to its areas of interest. The main goal of the library is to popularize and disseminate knowledge about the culture of the East, its traditions and history.

The library archives contain more than 30 thousand volumes and publications. The main area is literature related to the art, history, culture and religion of Asian and North African countries.

The museum library provides its registered members with a reading room and reprographic services, and readers of other libraries can access the library’s collections of Oriental art through an interlibrary program.

The educational mission of the Museum of East Asian Art

The Asian Art Museum aims to present Asian cultures in a credible, honest and open manner through workshops and trainings. By organizing such events for children, teenagers and adult listeners, taking into account the balance between the history and reality of Asian cultures.

The updated programs allow visitors to study the East in detail, to awaken their interest in Asia and the East (through competitions, family events), which can be linked to the curriculum in kindergartens, schools and universities.

As stated in the museum educational mission of the Ferenc Hopp Asian Art Museum, in addition to disseminating basic knowledge to the public, acquaintance with Eastern cultures begins with learning about traditions and history.

A visit to this museum will leave a deep impression on the soul of any tourist. After all, the wealth of the collection of artifacts is simply amazing. Therefore, when visiting Budapest, be sure to include this museum in your tourist route.