New Acquisitions 2013-2014

During the past two years, a large number of artefacts and collections were obtained through conscious effort, including a special collection of models in bottles that the museum has had its eye on for years, purchased with the aid of the National Cultural Fund, and a unique assemblage of Australian artefacts that offer a glimpse into the everyday material culture of an exclusive community. The support of the Folk Tradition Foundation was key in procuring an important collection from Hungary's Ormánság region, as well as a number of musical instruments formerly owned by Bálint Sárosi. Other additions to the museum's folk music holdings include a collection of instruments and musical transcriptions previously owned by István Halmos.

Acquired through fieldwork were a collection of Mordvin artefacts, while an exhibition arranged through international relations brought the museum a collection of special Vietnamese ceramics. The museum's greatest achievement of 2013, however, was its acquisition of the material of the Malonyai estate from the Moholy Nagy University of the Arts, part of which now resides with the museum's Textile Collection, and part with its Photographic Collection. Material newly inventoried by the Ethnology Archives includes a collection of World War I postcards and another of several thousand slides. Taken together, the artefacts and images on display present an overall picture that is highly varied in terms of both chronology and geography, taking visitors on a visual adventure through material old and new; traditional and modern; domestic and foreign; European and from distant continents alike.