The Esterházy Private Collection, an outstanding collection of art works put together by the Eszterházy princes over more than four centuries, shows well the family's role as a patron of the arts, a role carried on by the Esterházy Foundation.
One of the foundation's most important cultural initiatives is the Esterházy Art Prize, sponsored by insurer Uniqa and awarded every other year. Applicants for the prize, which recognises mainly painters, must be under the age of 36. The prize is awarded to at least two, but no more than three applicants. The foundation plans to expand the prize to include photographic and video works as well.
Online applications for this year's Esterházy Art Prize will be accepted between May 1 and August 31. Finalists will be announced on September 4 and their original works will be delivered on September 15-30. The finalists will be judged on October 5. The winners will be presented their awards and their works will be displayed on October 23.
The Esterházy Foundation announced a HUF 10 million contribution to the restoration of the Losonczy lavabo from the 16th century. The ewer and bowl, used for the ceremonial washing of hands in the church, were brought to Hungary from the Esterházy's Forchtenstein Castle in WWII, but were severely damaged when Budapest was bombed in 1945. The restoration is being undertaking by a team of international experts whose work is being documented for a book.
The foundation said it would publish a book, in German and Hungarian, together with Budapest's Museum of Applied Arts on treasures from the Esterházy collection.
The foundation is teaming up with the National Széchenyi Library to research the sacral works of Haydn. The project has run for several years and is set to be completed in 2011 with the publication of a catalogue of the works.
The establishment of the Esterházy Foundation Hungary serves to better maintain the foundation's growing number of partnerships in Hungary. As a result of these partnerships, combined ticket sales will start for the Esterházy palace in Fertőd (Hungary) and the Esterházy Castle in Eisenstadt (Austria).
The foundation will soon publish a biography of Haydn - who spent some of his best years as the court musician for the Esterházy family - and a children's book in Hungarian, to be available at the castle in Eisenstadt.
Source: Fidelio
