Gallery of the Benedictine Abbey

Locality: 8237 Tihany, I. András tér 1., Hungary
Client: Hungarian Benedictine Congregation St. Ányos Benedictine Monastery
Area: 304 m2
Year: 2022

In the second phase of the renewal of the Tihany Abbey Museum, the art gallery, which houses temporary spaces and public functions, has been given a new snow-white outfit. Descending a few steps from the centuries-old vaulted halls, which are shrouded in darkness, you pass through a connecting corridor to the bright, puritanical spaces wedged into the side of the abbey hill.

Gallery of the Benedictine Abbey – Tihany

The Abbey Gallery is a counterpoint to the historical exhibition in the basement of the listed building. The character of the two series of spaces, which are subsequently connected, is in complete opposition. The emphasis on the classical curved and the contemporary angular, monolithic spatial forms, the strong contrast between the black and white colour pair, deliberately play on the architectural and functional differences between the two sets of rooms. At the same time, however, the link between the two parts of the building is strengthened through subtle gestures, the fine-tuning of the connecting corridor and the dramaturgy of the contrasting pairs.

The use of a uniform white colour scheme has been used to blur the boundaries between the surfaces and soften the sense of confinement created by the low ceilings and elongated square form. We made only minimal changes to the floor plan. On the Rege courtyard side, 2 new openings were added, creating a closer visual and physical connection between the 3 previously separate spaces, thus breaking the constraints of the previous cellular design. We also eliminated some small unused service spaces at the end of the building.

The snow-white walls, floors and ceilings of the slightly irregularly shaped rooms provide a subdued, unified background for the works on display, whether classical or contemporary.

The window openings on the facade were hidden from the inside behind a uniform row of vertical slats, so that we could filter and regulate the amount of natural light entering and the artificial exhibition lighting could prevail in the interior. This creates a soft glow in the place of the windows, which conveys the relationship to the outside, but does not interfere with the artificial lighting inside. You can even darken the windows completely with blackout blinds. The mechanical systems are also hidden behind the removable lamellar front wall. Thus, there are no separate grilles or air vents anywhere on the wall and ceiling surfaces.

The trapezoidal room is accessed through a hidden ribbed flush door at the end of the gallery hallway. We find ourselves in an intense space full of artworks, in stark contrast to the puritanical design of the exhibition spaces, despite the fact that the interior design is based on the same minimalist elements.

The 3 outer sides of the space are covered with display cabinets for artworks, and in the centre is a display table with a characteristic triangular shape, which also houses the room’s engineering elements.

The primary design objective was to provide a neutral environment for art-based exhibitions of a changing nature and fine detail, while at the same time creating an internationally recognised art exhibition space, both technically and architecturally.

architesture:	Csaba Balogh, Ágnes Deigner, Levente Sirokai, Péter Sónicz
interior design:	Zsófia Dombrovszky, Ágnes Vértesy
statics:	Egon Baratta \| Baratta Építész Mérnök Iroda Kft.
engineering:	János Lencsés \| LE’VÉL Kft.
electricity:	György Kapitor \| Zone-Plan Kft.
structures:	Barnabás Tóth
fire protection:	György Decsi \| Fireeng Kft.
photography:	Krisztina Ancza

publikációk:	2022 Építészfórum – A Bencés Apátsági Kiállítás és Galéria Tihanyban

Gallery of the Benedictine Abbey – Tihany