"(Hungary) has been given the chance in the present situation to think and do certain things in a different manner," Schneider said.
Preparations for the Hungarian Renaissance Year include events which are intended to spur a rebirth of the country's cultural, social and political life, she said.
The year will open with a big exhibition at the Fine Arts Museum entitled The Renaissance in Florence showing the city during the age of the Medici family. The exhibition, based on loans from Italian Museums, will feature works by Botticelli, Filippo Lippi, Fra Angelico, Leonardo da Vinci and Donatello, as well as gold jewellery, fine furniture and exquisitely crafted weapons.
Speaking at a conference entitled Cultural Modernisation - Regional Cultural Development, Schneider said the main goals of Hungary's cultural modernisation should be the nurturing of talent, a reworking of the country's image, a restructuring of the way culture is financed and the implementation of projects related to the Hungarian city of Pécs's European Capital of Culture title in 2010. At the same time, efforts should be made to raise the profile of Hungary's national cultural identity, she said.
Ministry of Education and Culture officials spoke about achieving the goals of public art institutions, future tasks, financial opportunities and the Public Treasures Programme at the three-day conference.
Source: Múlt-kor / Hungarian News Agency
