The 20th century permanent exhibition dealing with the most important artists and aspirations until the end of the Second World War is located on the recently renovated second-floor of the museum. The time period we concentrate on is 1896 to 1945, with 150 paintings, 30 statues and 200 coins.

Thanks to her growing sense of nationhood and her developing middle class, during the course of the nineteenth century Hungary saw the creation of several museums. First among these new institutions was the National Museum. A museum dedicated solely to the history of Budapest came into existence only toward the end of the last century. Its core collection consisted of finds from the building sites, from archaeological excavations, and earlier collections which help shed light on of Budapest's history.