London, Sept 11 :    London, Sept 11:  A rare collection of Amrita Shergill's paintings went on display on Thursday at the prestigious Ernst Museum in Budapest, Hungary. It is the first exhibition of her works outside India. Jointly organised by the governments of India and Hungary, the exhibition celebrated the works of the artist, who is of Indo-Hungarian origin, and whose work is influenced by both cultures. It also provided a platform for Shergill's Hungarian relatives to meet their Indian counterparts at the glittering opening ceremony today. The exhibition features 25 of Shergill's works from her Ecole de Beaux Arts phase, including portraits, still lifes, nudes and studio pictures, plein-air paintings from the Hungarian phase, and her later paintings inspired by Mughal and Basoli miniatures, Ajanta frescoes and the Matelcheri Palace murals. The exhibition was inaugurated by Hungarian foreign minister Janos Martonyi and Indian ambassador to Budapest Lakshmi Puri. Special Cabinet permission was required to transport Shergill's paintings outside India as they are considered national treasures. Shergill was named Amrita in India and Dalma in Hungary. Her mother Marie Antoinette travelled to Budapest to give birth to the artist. Her Indian experience was greatly influenced by her Indologist uncle Erwin Baktay and she married her Hungarian childhood sweetheart, Victor Egan. Though most of her short life was spent in India, many formative phases were owed to her stay in Hungary. 'Through the exhibition, we hope to make known, as never before, her legacy of Indo-Hungarian art, kinship and affinity amongst Hungarian and Indian peoples,' said Puri at the inaugural function. 'Her pioneering role in bringing to bear the influence of post-impressionism and neo-realism that characterised European art between the two World Wars and creatively combining them with Pan-Indian elements and vitality was worthy of recognition,' he added. Martonyi affirmed the greatness of Shergill as an artist, and said her legacy was not only an Indo-Hungarian one but also an Indo-European one. The exhibition brought together Hungarian and Indian relatives of the artist. Artist Vivian Sundaram, who is the son of Amrita's sister, Indira, was present with his own exhibition of photomontages. Vivian's sister Naveena, who lives in Germany, came down for the occasion. Mrs Baktay, Shergill's aunt, and Gottesman, Shergill's cousin, were also there as were relatives of her husband, Victor. Art historian Geeta Kapur presented a special lecture-cum-slide show on Shergill's life and works.