Budapest, 19 December 2025 – “The MNB’s new management believes that art belongs in museums, not offices or storage facilities. Therefore, the MNB’s art collection will be returned to its natural environment: museums,” according to MNB Governor Mihály Varga, speaking at the press conference on the transfer of the MNB’s art collection. The MNB is lending its collection of 1,422 contemporary works of art to a total of 30 museums throughout Hungary.

MNB Governor Varga pointed out that without an audience works of art could not fulfil the role they were created for. In previous years, these works of art had been on display in the MNB’s workspaces, corridors, offices and storage facilities, and many of them had never been seen by the general public. He recalled that the MNB’s new management had already made it clear in March that it would reduce activities outside of the core mandate and streamline MNB operations in these areas. This had led to the decision to lend these contemporary works of art to museums. Varga explained that within the framework of the partnership agreement with the National Gallery, the MNB had asked the central institution of Hungarian fine art curation to ensure the best possible placement of the artworks in the future. As he had previously said, this measure would benefit everyone, as it provided Hungarian museums the opportunity to exhibit more than 1,400 works of art, helping to boost the number of visitors. At the same time, museum-goers, art lovers and people living far from Budapest would now also be able to enjoy these artworks.

Participating museums:

1. Museum of Fine Arts – Hungarian National Gallery

2. Bocskai Museum, Hajdúszoboszló

3. János Damjanich Museum, Szolnok

4. Déri Museum, Debrecen

5. Béla Dornyay Museum, Salgótarján

6. Ferenczy Museum Center, Szentendre

7. Göcsej Village Museum, Zalaegerszeg

8. Lajos Hatvany Museum, Hatvan

9. Ottó Herman Museum (Miskolc Gallery), Miskolc

10. Janus Pannonius Museum, Pécs

11. András Jósa Museum, Nyíregyháza

12. Attila József Museum, Makó

13. József Katona Museum, Kecskemét

14. Domokos Kuny Museum, Tata

15. Dezső Laczkó Museum, Veszprém

16. MODEM, Debrecen

17. Ferenc Móra Museum, Szeged

18. Town Museum of Paks, Paks

19. Rippl Rónai Museum, Kaposvár

20. Rómer Flóris Museum of Art and History, Győr

21. Szatmár Museum, Mátészalka

22. King St. Stephen Museum, Székesfehérvár

23. Savaria Museum (Szombathely Gallery), Szombathely

24. János Tornyai Museum, Hódmezővásárhely

25. Ignác Tragor Museum, Vác

26. Mór Wosinsky County Museum, Szekszárd

27. István Győrffy Museum of the Nagykun Region, Karcag

28. István Dobó Castle Museum, Eger

29. Mihály Munkácsy Museum, Békéscsaba

30. Sopron Museum, Sopron

Magyar Nemzeti Bank