Budapest Guide
Józsefváros and Ferencváros
The Palace of Arts
Address: Vágóhíd utca
Website: www.mupa.hu
Next door to the National Theatre, the Palace of Arts (Művészetek Palotája) is a vast edifice that is the new home of the excellent Philharmonic Orchestra and National Dance Theatre. Resembling a dull office block by day, it comes alive each evening with snazzy lighting and events – from world music and dance to Philip Glass's latest composition. No expense has been spared to make this a top venue; particularly in the concert hall, whose acoustics are so sharp that some orchestras are said to dislike it, as you can hear their mistakes.
The Palace also encompasses the Ludwig Museum or Museum of Contemporary Art (Kortárs Művészti Múzeum; Tues– Sun 10am–8pm; 1000Ft; www.ludwigmuseum.hu), established in 1996 to build upon an earlier bequest by the German industrialist Peter Ludwig, which was formerly housed on Várhegy. The collection includes US pop art such as Warhol's Single Elvis and Lichtenstein's Vicki, as well as Picasso's Musketeer with a Sword and a Sealed Letter by Beuys, but most of the recent acquisitions are works by lesser-known Europeans, in such styles as Hyper-Realism and Neo-Primitivism. It also hosts temporary exhibitions by international artists.