Hungary appoints new heads of three national cultural institutions

On 31 July 2026 the Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum Közgyűjteményi Központ (MNMKK) announced interim directors for three state‑run collections. Gerencsér Judit was named director of the Országos Széchényi Könyvtár, Jékely Zsombor became director of the Iparművészeti Múzeum, and Babocsay Gergely took over as director of the Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum. The appointments were approved by Minister Zoltán Tarr for Social Relations and Culture and were made by MNMKK president Zsigmond Gábor.

The new leaders inherit institutions that have been under a cultural‑minister‑ordered audit, which led to the removal of former heads Bernert Zsolt, Cselovszki Zoltán and Rózsa Dávid. They are tasked with modernising the collections system and overseeing the planned, phased reduction of the MNMKK. Gerencsér Judit brings experience as a librarian and AI researcher, Jékely Zsombor is an art historian and medievalist, and Babocsay Gergely is a herpetologist and former chief curator who has warned of internal challenges at the Natural History Museum.