Parallel to our move to Benczúr street 26. and the establishment of our new Headquarters, the 1990s witnessed flourishing cultural life, with the British Council taking center stage through establishing a vibrant UK-Hungary cultural exchange. The best of the UK cultural scene were introduced to Hungarian audiences, including British music, contemporary dance performances, theatre and fine arts.
John Grote, who served as Country Director from 1991 to 1996, reflects on this unprecedented British cultural influence in his memoirs:
"In my time here we have seen the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, the Theatre de Complicité and, most recently, Cheek by Jowl. We have had the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, The BBC Welsh Orchestra and the Icebreakers. With our help Hungarian promoters introduced contemporary British music to the Hungarian audience through the Balanescu Quartet and the Gavin Bryars Ensemble. Jan Garbarek with the Hilliard Ensemble gave a memorable concert of their acclaimed programme, Officium in the St. Stephen Basilica with our help. The English National Ballet performed at the Opera and we helped introduce new British ballets into the repertoire of the Hungarian Ballet. As a result of the Making Waves Festival in 1992 and our long partnership with Petõfi Csarnok we brought excellent contemporary dance companies to Hungary: DV8, Phoenix, the Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company. A Henry Moore exhibition heads a list of sculpture exhibitions including Tony Craggs and photographer, Don McCullin exhibited a moving exhibition at the Ernst Museum." John Grote, Country Director 1991-1996
In the next decades, we continued to showcase the best of British talent for promoting cultural exchange and establishing people-to-people connections. Many of us still recall the iconic Great Britmania series in 2008, one of our most successful arts projects, showcasing the finest of the UK's contemporary arts. Another noteworthy mention is Selector Radio in 2015, 'People to People' Community Arts Project (2019) and the Martin Parr Exhibition in 2020.