Thanks to support for the concept by the Ministry of Education and Culture, the museum plans a 6,000-square-metre multi-purpose self-sustained space, part of it underground, Baán said. The Heroes' Square Visitor and Tourism Centre would make up one part of the wing, offering a foyer, ticket counters, a café, a museum, the museum store and a children's play area. A further 1,200 square metres would be used for temporary exhibitions. In the area underground, there would be a space for performances and presentations as well as an interactive media centre featuring the museum's collection.
Most of the cost of the wing will be paid for with European Union funding. The museum aims to cover 15pc of the cost from its own resources. Already the museum has been awarded close to HUF 30m in EU funding to pay for an impact study of the wing, Baán said.
The wing will include a special architectural structure on the surface, much like the glass pyramid at the Louvre, Mr Baan said. A tender will be invited to build the structure.
Work on the wing is expected to start in 2008, if the museum's applications for funding are accepted.
Baán noted that 2006 had been the most successful year ever for the Museum of Fine Arts. Twelve special temporary exhibitions, organised to celebrate the museum's centennial, attracted more than 600,000 visitors.
This year the museum plans special exhibitions showing the treasures of pre-colonial Peru, the life works of the Austrian artist Hundertwasser and the art of etching.
