Csontváry Museum

Csontváry Museum serves to present the work of Tivadar Kosztka Csontváry (1853-1919) in the centre of Pécs, in the immediate vicinity of the Pécs cathedral and the early Christian burial chambers that belong to the World Heritage, at 11 Janus Pannonius Street. The paintings only narrowly escaped destruction, as after the artist’s death they were put up for auction. It required the intercession of architect Gedeon Gerlóczy for the paintings to finally reach Pécs.

History

On 10 October 1973 the exhibition of Tivadar Kosztka Csontváry opened in the former large hall of the TIT exhibition house. It was considered a prominent event in the history of museums in Hungary, a permanent exhibition of Csontváry. In the opening month 20,000 people visited the museum. In 1983 the Csontváry Museum was renovated, and the works were placed there after significant conservation and restoration work.

In 1994-95 the renovated oeuvre reached several cities: Stockholm, Budapest, Rotterdam, Munich.

On the 150th anniversary of Csontváry’s birth – 5 July 2003 – the deposit of Csontváry’s works owned by the Hungarian National Gallery in Pécs was extended for another 10 years. On 1 October 2003 the Csontváry Museum was visited by President Ferenc Mádl and his wife, as well as Croatian President Stjepan Mesić and his wife.

Setting of a Novel

Several scenes of the satirical‑mystical crime novel *The Csontváry Code, or the Cat Is Not Far From Its Tree* take place in the Csontváry Museum. According to the story, Csontváry’s exhibition in Pécs is also visited by people who want not only to admire his art. In order to achieve their dark goals they do not shy away from art forgery or kidnapping.