Right after going to an exhibition we can get ourselves a smaller replica of our favourite pieces. Whether we like it or not we should check the small souvenirs, the books, the jewels and the magnets in the museum shops as we make our ways through the exit and let’s just be honest – we all definitely need yet another magnet for the fridge. We went to a few museum shops in Budapest and we checked what they have to offer.
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Museum of Fine Arts
The Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest easily lives up to European standards with its permanent and temporary exhibitions and we could say the same about its museum shop as well. On the shelves we can find gifts and souvenirs all related to the temporary exhibitions, there are Hungarian and English art books and albums and art playbooks are also available for kids. There is a huge printer which belongs to the shop so the visitors can get a replica of their favourite paintings. They can choose between two sizes. The quality of the canvas and the paint that are used during the printing is exceptional; these replicas could last for up to a hundred years. The shop tries to persuade not only those who are in the museum for the exhibitions, but those ones who are just art lovers as well. Right now there are gorgeous replicas of ancient Egyptian jewels that were created for the ‘Mummies uncovered’ exhibition...
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Vasarely Museum
...The works of Vasarely are also available – there are albums but you can also find coasters decorated with Vasarely’s paintings. These gifts will also be available in the shop of – which is under construction at the moment.
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House of Terror
The name and the profile of the museum suggest that the books and the souvenirs will be quite different here. You can find sculpted Lenin and Stalin candle figurines in black and red for example. There are also military-styled metal mugs but the most interesting thing is probably the vintage Russian passport which is actually a notebook. The museum shop, which is right next to a huge oil-covered tank, mainly focuses on books; there are historic books on the shelves but biographies about historic figures such as Stalin, Lenin, Hitler and Rákosi are also available. You can also find books about the revolution and freedom fights of 1956 and WWII. The House of Terror, which celebrates its 10th birthday this year, offers a persistent exhibition for the lovers of history, but temporary exhibitions are held as well. At the moment visitors can check the Brave and Free exhibition and the exhibition that commemorates Raul Wallenberg.
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Ludwig Museum
The Palace of Arts and Ludwig museum has a joint shop which is yet another museum shop that focuses on printed publications. These publications are divided into different sections: fashion and design books, literary works and books for kids are available. There are gifts and souvenirs that are related to the temporary exhibitions, concerts and performances. In the show-cases of the bookstore, which is ran by Vince publisher, there are silk accessories and design pieces by Virág Judit Gallery but you can also find MÜPA gifts as well; pens, CD holders, T-shirts and even yoyos. This museum shop is a great supporter of contemporary art so you can find great albums and books about modern arts as well.
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Műcsarnok
The Art Shop of Műcsarnok opened 17 years ago as the first art bookshop in Budapest. Ever since they expanded their supplies so nowadays you can find contemporary design pieces and jewellery for example and there are also items created by recycled materials such as wallets, bags and accessories made out of used inner tubes. The Art Shop will be redecorated this summer; it will have a brand new image. With the new plans for rearrangement the different kinds of gifts and design items will be in the centre of attention. The shop offers great opportunities for exhibiting works of the contemporary artists and they also sell these items so collectors will have a chance to purchase their favourites.
