From Rippl-Rónai to a 500-year-old Buddha: Art and Antique returns

Due to high interest, this year's Art and Antique will open additional halls at the Bálna to accommodate visitors. Alongside paintings and sculptures, the fair is placing increasing emphasis on furniture, jewellery, carpets, books and a wide range of other art objects. The latest contemporary works sit comfortably beside classical paintings and timeworn antique pieces, creating a richly layered visual experience. One of the event's main attractions is its accessibility: visitors can browse design objects and small treasures priced at just a few thousand forints, as well as collector's pieces worth tens of millions. Of course, purchasing is entirely optional - Art and Antique is just as rewarding for those who simply wish to immerse themselves in the colourful world of art and antiques for an afternoon.

Art and Antique offers a comprehensive overview of the current state of Hungary’s art and antiques market each year. We are proud to see growing interest from both exhibitors and visitors alike, and in 2026 we are expecting record attendance. It is particularly encouraging that the audience continues to grow younger: those in their twenties are just as enthusiastic about the arts as members of Generation X. Reflecting this shift, the fair returns this year with a refreshed visual identity and an increasingly diverse selection.

- said Ádám Tausz, chief organizer of the event.

Treasures from Hungary and around the world

One of the exhibition's standout pieces is a Thai ceramic Buddha on display at the stand of the Moró Antik Gallery. Dating back to the 16th century, the sculpture has survived in remarkably good condition considering its half-millennium age. Its most striking feature is the intact nose - a rarity among statues of similar age, where this detail is often lost over time.

Art and Antique would hardly be complete without the great masters of Hungarian painting. This year, one of the highlights at the Erdész Gallery’s stand is a painting by Rippl-Rónai József. Winter. Poplar Avenue (Téli nyárfasor), created in the early 1900s, was previously exhibited at Rippl-Rónai’s show at the Royal Hotel and later at the Mercur Palace exhibition in 1902.

Kálmán Makláry Fine Arts presents previously unseen works by two of the most significant internationally acclaimed Hungarian-born figurative painters of the second half of the 20th century, Tibor Csernus and István Sándorfi. The exhibition reveals two private collections featuring some of the artists' most important, museum-quality masterpieces.

This year, Központi Antikvárium presents a truly rare literary treasure: a handwritten personal message by Attila József. The lines were written by the poet as a Christmas dedication to his first love, Márta Gebe, inside a copy of his 1922 volume The Beggar of Beauty (  Szépség koldusa ).

Extra programmes and a special necklace prize draw

Visitors can also take part in guided tours and a prize draw at what promises to be the most versatile art event of the year. Tickets are available on site for HUF 5,000 per person, while entry is free for those under 18.

The prize draw has been organised by BÁV ART Auction House and Gallery, a returning key participant of the fair, and fittingly the grand prize is an exceptional necklace. Crafted from 14-carat white gold, the chain and pendant are adorned with a 0.485-carat brilliant-cut diamond, with a value exceeding HUF 600,000. One lucky visitor will leave the exhibition wearing this elegant, sparkling piece of jewellery. At their stand, guests can also browse a carefully curated selection of contemporary and classical paintings, artworks, furniture and jewellery. Visitors will even have the chance to meet Péter Fertőszögi, the well-known dealer from the television programme Treasure Hunters (Kincsvadászok).

(Cover photo: Art and Antique)

Art and Antique Budapest 2026

Event details

Thursday, 26 February 2026 - Sunday, 1 March 2026

Taking place between 26 February and 1 March at the Bálna, the fair will host 50 well-known and respected galleries, presenting a rich and carefully curated selection of artworks and design pieces ranging from accessible finds worth a few tens of thousands of forints to museum-worthy masterpieces valued in the hundreds of millions.

Legyetek ott első városi piknikünkön!

Gyertek, és töltsünk el egy vidám napsütéses tavaszi napot együtt a városligeti fák lombjai között május 1-jén, ahol day-time piknik, workshopok, sok szuper food truck és dizájnvásár is vár mindenkit.

Ünnepeljük együtt a tavaszt, a találkozásokat és azt a pezsgést, amiért annyira szeretjük Budapestet!

hirdetés