Have you seen it? Striking new installation unveiled at Budapest Airport
A striking anamorphic installation depicting the portrait of legendary composer Franz Liszt was unveiled on Friday at Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport, marking the airport’s 75th anniversary.
At the inauguration, Patrik Prosko, the Czech sculptor and visual artist behind the installation, explained that the portrait was created using a wide range of period musical instruments and their components, as well as related objects and historical documents reflecting Liszt Ferenc’s life, work, and enduring legacy.
The artist said he envisioned the artwork as a curtain-draped stage that presents the entire process of music-making, from its birth to its final performance.
Viewed from the side, the installation allows visitors to peer into the legendary composer’s head: his thoughts are symbolised by a century-old piano. From there, the music flows through original sheet music sourced from the Liszt Ferenc Memorial Museum and Research Centre, eventually reaching the orchestra performing on stage, Prosko explained.
In visual art, anamorphosis refers to a technique in which an image only comes together and gains meaning from a specific viewpoint. In the case of the Liszt installation, the portrait emerges clearly when viewed from the front.
Máté Lóga, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Budapest Airport, recalled that the programme series marking the jubilee year was built around the airport’s namesake, Franz Liszt, and that the commemorative year concludes with the unveiling of Patrik Prosko’s installation.
He added that 2025 has been a record-breaking year for the airport: according to preliminary estimates, 19.5 million passengers are expected to travel through the airport this year, with total traffic projected to reach between 19.3 and 19.7 million by year’s end. The summer season was particularly strong, with nearly 5.5 million passengers passing through the airport during those months alone.
Katalin Valentínyi, Deputy CEO for Communications and Government Relations at Budapest Airport, noted that in the early years of the now 75-year-old airport, an average of just 137 passengers travelled daily, compared with around 65,000 today—an almost 500-fold increase in passenger traffic. Speaking about Liszt, she said his music transcends borders and connects people worldwide, describing him as the world’s first truly “globe-trotting” musician.