Sigismundus :: The Exhibition

1. Preparatory phase

The concept of a joint exhibition between Hungary and Luxembourg that was developed by Roland Recht and Ernő Marosi in 1996 came into the focus again in 2001 when the prime ministers of Hungary and Luxembourg agreed on the organization of the exhibition. In the course of the negotiations held in Luxembourg in November 2001 and in Budapest in December 2001 the signatories accepted the professional concept worked out in Budapest.

The realization and the principles of the exhibition and the financial support guaranteed by the two signatories are set in the Declaration of Will signed on 11 August 2003. The document was signed by Erna Hennicot-Schoepges the cultural minister of Luxembourg and István Hiller, the Hungarian cultural minister. Pursuant to the agreement and for the sake of the preparation and realization of the exhibition on 1 October 2003 a Program Office was set up in the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest. The office is directed by a chief curator appointed by the two ministers.

During the year 2003, the members of the scholarly board of advisors have accepted the request to take part in the organization of the exhibition.

Patronage has been accepted by Ferenc Mádl, the President of the Republic of Hungary and by His Royal Highness the Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg. In 2004 Péter Erdő cardinal-primate, the archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest accepted the ecclesiastical patronage of the exhibition.

In January 2004 the logo of the exhibition and the other visual elements used by the Program office (business cards, envelopes and notepaper) were designed.

2. Loan negotiations and other events from the course of preparations

In May 2004 the members of the Program Office led successful negotiations with Alexandru Lungu, the director of the Brukenthal Museum, Sibiu on the loaning of three sculptures and four goldsmith's works; one of the statues is a masterwork of the Central European sculpture. Photos were taken of the objects to be borrowed by Attila Mudrák. The participants also had the possibility to examine the monumental Calvary sculpture standing in one of the chapels in the town (see the image).

he technical observations of the altarpiece of Thomas de Coloswar from Garamszentbenedek began in June 2004 in the Christian Museum, Esztergom with the participation of restorer Éva Galambos. (In the A picture, Györgyi Poszler, Éva Galambos and Zsombor Jékely during the examinations.)

In June 2004 a delegation from the Hungarian Ministry of Cultural Heritage visited Luxembourg in order to sign the agreement on cooperation between the two partner institutes prepared in the first half of that year. The guests viewed the exhibition rooms in the new building of the Musée et national d'histoire et d'art where the exhibition will be located (in the picture: Paul Reiles, Zsolt Jékely, François Reinert, Annamária Vigh, Erika Koncz) and also Luxembourg's new conference centre where the international colloquium is to be held 9-10 June, 2005.

On December 9 2004, the preliminary conservation survey of the herm of Saint Ladislaus in Győr was completed. The examination was done by Péter Varga, the chief restorer of Museum of Applied Arts, the committee included: Dr. Zsuzsa Lovag, the emeritus director of the Museum of Applied Arts, Dr. Pál Cséfalvay, canon of the diocese of Esztergom, the director of the Christian Museum, Esztergom, Dr. Ernő Marosi, vice-president of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

During 2003 and 2004 the members of the Program office participated in several talks and negotiations with representatives of the collections in Vienna, Bratislava, Bucharest, Zagreb, Dresden and New York, etc. At the same time the process of taking photos about the objects to be borrowed has already been initiated. This activity is principally done by photographer Attila Mudrák. (In the photo, members of the Program Office are seen at the Croatian Restoration Institute in Zagreb.)

In February 2005, members of the Program Office held a meeting with the curators at the Musée national in Luxembourg concerning the second venue of the Sigismundus exhibition. On the photo, François Reinert, coordinator in Luxembourg and Head of the Cabinet des Médailles, is seen with loan objects from Luxembourg.

In March 2005, members of the Program Office along with Enikő Sipos, textile restorer of the Hungarian National Museum visited the Cistercian Abbey of Rein, to study the textile from the grave of Ernst der Eiserne, and to discuss the possibility of its restoration and loan. On the picture, Enikő Sipos with Abbot Petrus Steigenberger.

3. Conference

In advance of the exhibition Sigismundus - Rex et Imperator, 1387-1437, an international conference was organised by the MNHA and Luxembourg University, in partnership with the CCRN. The conference was supported by the National Research Fund. The colloquium was held in the prestigious Robert Krieps hall at the CCRN, which can accomodate 270 people.

early 30 historians and art historians from abroad participated at the symposium. At a time of EU enlargement, special attention was given to research in Eastern European countries (Croatia, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic), which has until now not been well known. The reign of Sigismund of Luxemburg, King of Hungary (1387), and King (1410/11) and Emperor (1433) of the Holy Roman Empire, was shaped by rapid historical and intellectual change. Sigismund's defeat at the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396 was the first major event of the confrontation between the West and the Ottoman Empire. The emergence of the Hussites in Bohemia gave rise to interminable conflicts while the Councils of Constance (1414-18) and Basle (1431) led Sigismund into the arena of international diplomacy. The conference addressed these and other historical problems, as well as a series of art historical issues marking the importance of this period of artistic renewal.

Organisers of the conference:
François REINERT
Musée national d’histoire et d’art
Marché-aux-Poissons
L-2345, Luxembourg
Tel : (+352) 47 93 30 217
Fax : (+352) 47 93 30 271
email: francois.reinert@mnha.etat.lu
http://www.mnha.lu

Scientific Organiser:
Michel PAULY
Université du Luxembourg
162 A, avenue de la Faiencerie
L-1511 Luxembourg
Tel: (+352) 466-644-659
e-mail: michel.pauly@cu.lu
http://www.cu.lu/histoire/

Click to read the conference program in PDF version (1 MB). The acts of the conference were published in a separate volume.