The major temporary exhibition tells the story of the late frontman of Queen, and also recalls the band’s Budapest concert 40 years ago.
The exhibition brings together two round anniversaries: Freddie Mercury would have turned 80 this year, and the concert at the Népstadion took place four decades ago. “There had never been a concert on this scale behind the Iron Curtain before. Queen’s 1986 performance at the Népstadion in front of 70,000 spectators came at a moment when it also knocked an important brick out of the socialist system. And Freddie even sang the Hungarian folk song ‘Tavaszi szél vizet áraszt’ (Spring Wind Floods the Waters),” said Márton Horn, director of the House of Music Hungary and co-curator of the exhibition.
Márton Horn got in touch with Tom Hykel, who has been collecting Freddie Mercury’s personal belongings for more than fifteen years, while organising the House of Music Hungary’s 2023 exhibition Divas and Icons (Dívák és Ikonok). Through Hykel, who runs the World of Freddie project, Peter Freestone also came on board; he was the singer’s personal assistant for twelve years.
“Peter and I came up with the idea of an exhibition presenting the many, many objects I have amassed as a collector, as well as other things related to Freddie. When I travelled to Budapest and saw the House of Music Hungary, I immediately felt that this was where the exhibition had to be,” said Tom Hykel.
The exhibition, entitled “Freddie”, features some five hundred personal items, stage costumes and manuscripts, complemented by video recollections from friends and colleagues – and, of course, the songs of Queen and Mercury play throughout.
The exhibition leads visitors through nine themed spaces, gradually revealing the personal side of Freddie Mercury alongside the star. “In the section on the tours, we learn how concert tours were organised before the age of the internet and mobile phones, with a focus on two concerts: the famous Live Aid performance and the Budapest event.” In the exhibition, concert promoter László Hegedűs talks on video about how the Népstadion show came about, and producer György Mihály also speaks.
On display are the jacket and shoes the singer wore at the Budapest concert, the vest he wore at Live Aid, a dressing gown from the Bohemian Rhapsody video, one of his microphone stands, his handwritten lyrics and drawings, furniture from his London home, Garden Lodge, as well as gold and platinum records.
The exhibition shows what gatherings with friends and tea parties were like, and how Mercury lived with his ten beloved cats. It also reveals the singer’s passion for Japanese culture, fashion, board games, shopping and giving gifts.
The “Freddie” exhibition can be visited at the House of Music Hungary until 28 February 2027.
Source: MTI
Photo: MTI/Zoltán Balogh