Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis astute monograph offers a survey of Hungarian avant-garde art of the 1960s-80s that is at once accessible and methodologically rigorous. Its elucidation of the entanglements between the first (official) public sphere and its counterpart, the second (unofficial) public sphere, is thoroughly invigorating. * Klara Kemp-Welch, The Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London, UK *
‘This timely and expertly researched study of unofficial Kádár-era art explores the resourcefulness and ingenuity of Hungarian artists keen to push the limits of artistic freedom. The book is indispensable for anyone interested in the question what it meant to be radical for an artist in post-1956 Hungary, and beyond.’ * Sven Spieker, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA *
Drawing on a wealth of research, Cseh-Varga provides a new and accessible interpretation of radical art phenomena in Hungary under socialism. The book points to the importance of the public sphere for the democratic ambitions and battles with authority of the East European neo-avant-garde. * Edit Sasvári, Art historian and Director of the Kassák Múzeum, Budapest, Hungary *
Table of Contents1. Acknowledgements 2. Introduction 3. Public Spheres and Spatiality 4. The Happening and the Consolidation of the Art of the Second Public Sphere 5. Places of Resonance – Artist Studios 6. Official Venues, Semi-Official Art: Party-Run Locations 7. Turning Private into Public – Apartment Culture 8. Avant-Garde above the Ground 9. Conclusion 10. Bibliography
