Hungarian heritage authority gives Golgotha painting protected status – paper

Budapest, March 8 (MTI) – Hungary’s national heritage authority, the Forster Centre, has declared that Munkácsy’s Golgotha painting should come under national protection in a non-appealable ruling, daily Magyar Idők reported on Tuesday.

As such, the painting cannot be exported from the country unless a special permit is obtained, nor can it be removed from Debrecen’s Déri Museum where it is currently held. Its protected status also ensures a purchase option to the Hungarian state.

The National Bank of Hungary earlier made an offer of 6 million dollars to buy the painting from its owner Imre Pákh, who had asked for 9 million dollars.

The Forster Centre passed its first decision to include Golgotha in the list of protected artwork in November last year, which the New York based owner appealed.

In June 2015, the cabinet office initiated a procedure to prevent Golgotha, on loan and displayed at Déri Museum, from being removed from the country.

The state owns Ecce Homo! and Christ Before Pilate, the two other pieces in Munkácsy’s trilogy. The latter painting was purchased with funding from the central bank’s programme to buy national art treasures.

Photo: vitezirend.com

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters