VISUALS: Plans for Hungary’s new National Gallery in Budapest revealed at Osaka World Expo
Plans for the New National Gallery to be built in Budapest’s City Park (Városliget) were unveiled on 28 April at the Hungarian Pavilion of the Osaka World Expo, Városliget Ltd. announced Monday.
According to the statement, the final piece of the Liget Budapest Project was presented at the expo by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, founders of the Pritzker Prize-winning architectural firm SANAA. The announcement recalled that SANAA was awarded the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2010 for their contributions to the field.
Known worldwide for their minimalist and refined style, SANAA’s architecture plays with light and transparency and seeks to harmonise structures with their surroundings. Their portfolio includes the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, the New Museum in New York, the Rolex Learning Centre in Lausanne, Grace Farms in Connecticut, and the Louvre-Lens Museum in France.
The statement reminded readers that SANAA won the international design competition for the New National Gallery as part of the Liget Budapest Project. The new museum will be constructed on the site of the former Petőfi Hall, showcasing major works of Hungarian and international fine art from the early 19th century to today. According to the release, the building will feature modern, airy designs, a close connection with the surrounding park, and innovative exhibition spaces.
“It was an incredible moment today at the Hungarian Pavilion to watch the founders of SANAA—one of the world’s most renowned architectural duos—present the plans for the New National Gallery,” said László Baán, ministerial commissioner of the Liget Budapest Project. “Their presentation made it clear that an extraordinary building is in the works in Budapest—one that will be SANAA’s largest project to date.”
Baán added, “If everything we envisioned a decade ago comes to fruition, including the completion of the New National Gallery, it will prove to future generations that we were able to create something of historically significant value—something that undeniably benefits the nation.”
According to the statement, Kazuyo Sejima emphasised, “When designing the New National Gallery, our goal was to ensure that future visitors would feel the special connection between nature, art, and architecture. It was an exciting challenge to create a new cultural institution that houses unique cultural treasures while remaining open to both nature and people.” Ryue Nishizawa added, “The historic city of Budapest and the charm of City Park deeply influenced us. Designing a contemporary museum in the park’s historic setting, on the site of a former building, was a great responsibility and an intriguing task.”
The statement also quoted Benedek Gyorgyevics, CEO of Városliget Zrt., who said, “Projects completed under the Liget initiative—like the Museum of Ethnography, the Museum of Fine Arts, or the House of the Hungarian Millennium—attract nearly ten million individual visitors to City Park annually, most of whom come to Budapest specifically for its cultural heritage.” He added, “Here in Osaka at the World Expo, we had the chance to showcase what the future holds for Hungary—a future that will be well worth flying in to see in person, not just the architectural plans of the New National Gallery, but the real thing as well.”
To read or share this article in Hungarian, click here: Helló Magyar
Read also: