Record Number of Galleries to Be Present at This Year’s Art and Antique Fair

Art and Antique Budapest, Hungary’s largest classical and contemporary art fair, opens its doors for the sixth time, reports Turizmus.com. From February 29 to March 3, a record number of galleries will be represented at the Bálna Budapest.

The 40 galleries participating in the fair represent the cream of the Hungarian art trade. The spectrum of works on display is very broad, ranging from paintings worth hundreds of millions of forints to affordable pieces, but quality is a key criterion, the organizers said in a statement. At the exhibitors’ stands, visitors can view and buy paintings, sculptures, jewellery, special carpets, furniture and antique books.

“Every year Art and Antiques attracts huge interest. It is the only one-stop contemporary and classical art event in Hungary, where the biggest collectors and interested laymen can find what they are looking for,” said the organizer Ádám Tausz.

In 2024, the fair will be held in Bálna on an area of nearly 5,000 square meters, creating a unique meeting point for galleries, auction houses and art lovers alike.

As in previous years, Art and Antique is organizing a charity auction online on Axioart. The beneficiary will be the Foundation for the Ballet Students of the Hungarian State Opera.

Fact

The location of the event, the Bálna is a commercial, cultural, entertainment and hospitality center. It connects the city center with the 9th district of Budapest, the tourist area with the gastronomic zone. The building itself combines architectural features from different eras: a computer-designed, 21st-century steel and glass shell surrounds the 1881 brick, historic warehouse buildings and reinforced concrete structures typical of last century.

The interior design of the Bálna reflects the holistic approach of our time: steel, aluminum and glass, yellow fired brick with bone-colored concrete and silk grey aluminum surfaces, as well as wooden floors, terrazzo stair treads, and chrome-plated steel escalators reflect the sunlight shining through the transparent glass roof panels, merging the exterior and interior.