Untold Stories. Art collections from regional museums, 1989–2024
2025. Apr. 26. - 2025. Aug. 24.
The history of regional museums in Hungary after 1989, rich in challenges and twists and turns, is an accurate reflection of the period after the regime change, a period initially full of expectations and optimism, then gradually sobering up and stabilising, but now undergoing impulsive transformations once more. The Untold Stories exhibition at MODEM seeks to show the values that institutions outside Budapest acquired between 1989 and 2024 through the fine art collections of regional museums. This selection attempts to provide a picture for the general public as well as experts of how the collecting practices of individual regional museums have evolved in the decades since the fall of communism.
Although regional museums had dwindling financial resources to expand their collections after 1989, many works considered canonical were nevertheless able to enter public collections. Continued donations and gifts have also reinforced the social consensus that museums remain privileged sites for the preservation and protection of heritage.
In recent years, MODEM has placed increasing emphasis on partnerships with various museums as well as cultural and educational institutions. The current exhibition can be seen as a new step in this approach, as MODEM, through the Association of Hungarian Regional Museums, has launched a call for proposals, which will now show the joint thinking and work of more than 20 regional museums. It was essential that the institutions define the image that they would like to present of themselves through the pieces they have selected from their collections, so museums were asked to submit a list of approximately 50 works of art, regardless of medium or genre. From these lists, we selected the works we wished to display. We sought to ensure that our selection reflected the focus of the institution’s collection. The resulting selection—the likes of which have rarely been seen in the domestic museum sector—also allows us to present the diverse perspectives of local identity and cultural heritage alongside mainstream artistic discourse.
Beyond striving to encapsulate each institution’s collection, however, we have paid equal attention to the work that has gone into the collections behind the scenes, as well as the art institutions themselves, which we present mainly through infographics. In addition, the animations in the exhibition space briefly summarise the research themes that permeate the exhibition, which include the role of the regional museum system in the cultural policy of Hungary and the capacity of regional museums to acquire and collect art. The exhibition is also seen as a starting point for further institutional collaborations and possible research.
Institutions:
Déri Múzeum, Debrecen
Dornyay Béla Múzeum, Salgótarján
Damjanich János Múzeum, Szolnok
Ferenczy Múzeumi Centrum, Szentendre
Göcseji Múzeum, Zalaegerszeg
Gödöllői Városi Múzeum, Gödöllő
Hatvany Lajos Múzeum, Hatvan
Herman Ottó Múzeum – Miskolci Galéria, Miskolc
József Attila Múzeum, Makó
Kortárs Művészeti Intézet – Dunaújváros (ICA-D)
Kuny Domokos Múzeum, Tata
Laczkó Dezső Múzeum, Veszprém
MODEM, Debrecen
Móra Ferenc Múzeum, Szeged
Paksi Városi Múzeum, Paks
Rippl Rónai József Múzeum, Kaposvár
Rómer Flóris Művészeti és Történeti Múzeum, Győr
Szent István Király Múzeum, Székesfehérvár
Szombathelyi Képtár, Szombathely
Tatabányai Múzeum, Tatabánya
Tragor Ignác Múzeum, Vác
Curators: Ács Bálint, Don Tamás
Recommended time to visit the exhibition: 1.5 hours