The building of the Museum of Fine Arts is one of the prime jewels in Heroes' Square, the magnificent square that crowns Budapest's great avenue: this prominent location also serves to indicate the imposing role it has played in Hungary's cultural life. Its creation in 1896 was one of the most significant of the major investments aimed to demonstrate the dynamic development of the country which, on the millennium of its foundation as a state. The purpose of the new museum was to provide a comprehensive view of the history of the visual arts. The small album you are holding gives a taste of the finest pieces in the collections of the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts. From the ocean we have scooped up a few drops of water in which something of the whole is reflected. This volume is a kind of souvenir, and no substitute for perusing the rooms of the museum in person, yet it can help us, later at home, to recollect this world, which is immensely rich. It captures the impression of a moment, and inspires us to return at a different moment, with different eyes, discovering new aspects.