Fine Arts Museum offers prints "on demand"

The new souvenir shop of the Museum of Fine Arts (Szépművészeti Múzeum) was opened on Wednesday, and in addition to regular museum gifts and keepsakes, a so-called Print on Demand (PoD) service was also launched at the store, reports index.hu.

"The point is that visitors can choose their favorite work of art using a touch screen computer, which they can take home within minutes in the form of a long-life art print," said museum director László Bán at the opening. "The museum received Ft 50 million (€190,000) from the Ministry of Culture for the installation of the system. The goal is to make visitors feel that they've seen an excellent exhibition, and are taking excellent souvenirs home."

It was Tamás Szeklencei, the director of Poszterfotó Kft, who came to the museum with his idea. Poszterfotó Kft has been printing high quality artwork for over a decade. A similar service is available at the London Tate Gallery, the Vienna Kunsthistorisches Museum, and the Paris Louvre.

The catalogue includes 36 paintings, works mostly by Van Gogh, Raffaello, El Greco, Monet and Gaugin from the Tate Gallery of London, from where the basic collection originates from. Digitalization of the paintings of the Museum of Fine Arts as well as the Hungarian National Gallery (Magyar Nemzeti Galéria) will begin shortly, and the company is hoping to expand the number of printable paintings to 100 by the end of the year.

The smaller 50x70 prints cost Ft 5,500 (€21), while the larger 60x90 prints are sold for Ft 8,900 (€34). The PoD prints deliver a wider spectrum of color onto the paper. As opposed to cheaper prints, these prints don't fade and retain their color up to a hundred years, resisting even UV rays.

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