Baán, proposed the merging of his museum with that of the Hungarian National Gallery, due to the similar exhibition and collection profile of the two. Both (along with the Ludwig Museum of Contemporary Art) specialize in 20th century and contemporary fine art, much of which was created by Hungarian artists living overseas. After his request to add an €18million underground extension to the Museum of Fine Arts, which would have united collections spread across the city, was denied in February 2011, Baán presented an alternative plan to the government to build two new buildings at the cost of €150m. He envisioned the new buildings, one housing contemporary European art and the other Hungarian photography, as a "special museum island" that would complement the Museum of Fine Arts and the Budapest Art Hall (Műcsarnok) by permanently joining the two collections by 2017. In September 2011, Secretary of State for Culture Géza Szőcs officially announced plans to build a new structure along Andrássy út close to City Park and near the existing Budapest Museum of Fine Arts and Budapest Art Hall (Műcsarnok). This building would house the collections of the current Hungarian National Gallery. This expanded plan, which would utilize the entire boulevard, is also referred to as the Budapest Museum Quarter or Andrássy Quarter. In early December 2011, Ferenc Csák, director of the Hungarian National Gallery since 2010 and critical of the proposed merger of the gallery with the Museum of Fine Arts, called the merge process "[v]ery unprofessional, anti–democratic and short–sighted" and announced that he would resign at the end of 2011. , a new director had not been named and the Hungarian National Gallery was being led by Deputy General Director, György Szűcs. See also Budapest Kunsthalle (Palace of Art) — contemporary art museum across the square''. Hungarian National Gallery List of museums in Hungary References Further reading External links Museum website Museum.hu information Aerial photographs of the museum Virtual tour of the Museum of Fine Arts (Budapest) provided by Google Arts & Culture Art museums and galleries in Hungary Museums in Budapest National museums of Hungary Egyptological collections Art museums established in 1906 Buildings and structures completed in 1906 1906 establishments in Hungary Landmarks in Hungary Greek Revival buildings Neoclassical architecture in Hungary