Hungary’s new government scraps National Gallery plans

Hungary’s new government has officially ended construction work on Budapest’s decade-long Liget cultural development in City Park (Városliget), including plans for a New National Gallery designed by Japan’s SANAA. A decree published on 18 June halted remaining work, and transport and public works minister Dávid Vitézy said the gallery “will not be constructed” in City Park, with unfinished sites to be restored as public parkland. The 50,000-square-meter museum had been stalled since 2019 amid opposition from Budapest’s mayor and environmental groups, and the government will now review alternative locations for the Hungarian National Gallery, which has been housed in Buda Castle since 1975. Museum director general László Baán said he hopes SANAA’s “world-class” design can be realized elsewhere, or failing that, the castle could be renovated—an effort he estimated would take eight to ten years and require significant funding.

Read the full article at The Art Newspaper - International art news and events