Ödön Lechner designed the Museum of Applied Arts in Budapest in Art Nouveau style.
Lechner and architect Gyula Pártos won the design competition in 1891, and the museum was built from 1893 to 1896. Its architecture belongs to Hungarian Szecesszió, the local form of Art Nouveau, and was unveiled during Hungary’s 1896 millennium celebrations.
The building is especially recognizable for its green glazed-tile roof, colorful Zsolnay ceramics, and decorative forms influenced by Hungarian, Indian, Persian, and Islamic art. Lechner used these elements to pursue a distinctively Hungarian modern architecture rather than simply copying Western European historical styles.
A common mix-up is crediting Lechner alone without mentioning Pártos, who was his professional partner. Nevertheless, Lechner is the canonical answer because he is the architect most closely associated with the building’s artistic conception and its pioneering Hungarian Secession style.