The Ferenc Hopp - Museum of Asiatic Arts at India's first museum fair

At the initiative of the Indian Ministry of Culture, the International Museum Expo was held for the first time this year from 18 to 20 May at Pragati Maidan, Delhi's largest exhibition hall. Hungary was represented by the Ferenc Hopp - Museum of Asiatic Arts, organised by the Liszt Institute of Delhi.

The focus of the three-day event was on museums with different themes, which provided an opportunity for museum professionals and the museum-interested public to engage in dialogue and insight into each other's activities through workshops, seminars, master classes and panel discussions. The organisers also invited international museum professionals, diplomats, curators, consultants, academics and students from around the world to showcase their best practices and provide an opportunity for transnational and interdisciplinary learning and collaboration.

Dr. Anna Katalin Aklan, member of the Ferenc Hopp - Museum of Asiatic Arts, curator of the Indian collection, represented Hungary at the Museum Fair, organised by the Liszt Institute of Delhi, where she participated in a panel discussion on Curating for Everyone. The audience was introduced to the history of the Ferenc Hopp - Museum of Asiatic Arts, heard about the centuries-old Hungarian-Indian cultural relations, the Gandhara exhibition planned by the museum for next year and the plans of the Hungarian Cultural Institute in Delhi to hold a joint exhibition with the Ferenc Hopp - Museum of Asiatic Arts in India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the event, which was aimed at creating a tradition, in front of an audience of 1,000 people. The opening ceremony was also attended by G. Kishan Reddy, Indian Minister of Culture, Meenakshi Lekhi, Indian Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture, and Arjun Ram Meghwal, Indian Minister of State for Law and Justice. The special museum exhibition was visited by over 200,000 people in Delhi, according to official figures.