When the crowded Castle District sights get too much, a short walk will lead you away to the storied retreat of the longest-standing Hungarian private gallery, which once housed the atelier of Amerigo Tot.
Born in Hungary in 1909, Tot lived in Rome, where he received recognition for his work on the frieze in Termini station. He also made his name as an actor, appearing as Michael Corleone’s bodyguard in The Godfather Part II.
After the ‘60s, Tot regularly revisited Budapest, where a then-empty plot within the Castle District was donated to him by the Hungarian State in 1976. His studio was set up on the building’s panoramic upper level that now contains his artworks, personal belongings and plenty of photographic evidence of Tot’s cosmopolitan lifestyle, showing him posing with Al Pacino, Pope John Paul II and Salvador Dalí.
Today, the three-storey Koller Gallery offers contemporary Hungarian art and modern works by renowned creatives such as Alejandro Pereyra, whose collages give a unique portrayal of movie icons such as Marilyn Monroe and Amélie.
Within the extensive collection is the stand-out Knight with Trumpet, a watercolour etching by Salvador Dalí. The gallery also contains works by the 20th-century master of the Op art movement, Victor Vasarely.
An imposing showcase of contemporary photography and an antique collection are also on view at this time-bending exhibition space, an ideal location to slow down and take in a century of art.
