BREATHING LIGHT | Spiritism, Theosophy, Buddhism in Hungary at the Turn of the 19th-20th Century

On view from April 2025, the exhibition aims to present the influence of modern theosophy – established as a society in New York, in 1875. Based on recent findings and a thorough exploration of the development and early history of the Hungarian Theosophical Society – celebrating its 120th anniversary this year – we strive to present a comprehensive account of theosophy’s place in contemporary thought.

Theosophy is characterised by an amalgamation of Eastern and Western esoteric currents. Our exhibition focuses on the aspects of theosophy that proved to be vastly influential in almost every facet of Hungarian intellectual life – including literature, visual arts, and science – and contributed substantially to popular interest in Eastern culture and art, as well as the collection of Eastern artefacts. The latter is well-attested by the many invaluable sculptures, pictures and books collected by Béla Gyöngyöshalászi Takách, currently in the collection of the Ferenc Hopp Museum of Asiatic Arts.

The exhibition evokes the atmosphere of Budapest at the turn of the century, the cultural milieu that lasted from the Dualist Era, through the horrors of the World War up until the interwar period. Visitors will also get acquainted with the many movements and groups that (re)appeared worldwide during this transformative period: Spiritists, Gnostics, members of the Tolstoyan and Lebensreform movements, Freemasons, Theosophists, Buddhists, and many more. In Hungary these tendencies were represented by such prominent figures as László Mednyánszky, Károly Zipernovszky, Margit Gömöryné Maróthy, Sándor Nagy, Ervin Baktay, Dezső Rózsaffy, Róbert Nádler, and József Hollósy, translator of the first Buddhist creed in Hungarian. Coming from a belief in the hidden mystery of life, they attempted to popularize a worldview that transcends sheer materialism.

The exhibition is accompanied by a scientific catalogue.