"What is happening here is much more than sponsorship. It shows clearly that education, culture and innovation show a way out of this crisis. It is more than just love for art. It is an investment for the future, said Minister of Education and Culture István Hiller.
"We are not thinking in the short term, we are long-term investors," said Martijn Gribnau, who heads ING's insurance unit in Hungary. Supporting infrastructure, education and culture, as well as encouraging civic responsibility is very important for ING, he added.
ING and the Museum of Fine Arts cooperated on another exhibition in 2006: Van Gogh in Budapest drew 483,000 visitors.
Mr Hiller said the exhibition would provide the closing chord to Hungary's EU presidency.
Hungary will take the rotating president in the first half of 2011.
The Museum of Fine Arts' HUF 3.5bn underground expansion is expected to be completed in time to provide the space for the exhibition.
Curator Judi Geskó said the exhibition, called Cézanne and the Past, would include about 80 works by Cézanne as well as paintings - from ancient times to the Romantic era - that inspired him.
Author: Éva Kelemen
Photo: Eszter Gordon
