’Illegal Informel’ @ Art + Text Budapest

  • 13 Apr 2018 8:52 PM
’Illegal Informel’ @ Art + Text Budapest
Now on until 27 April. In the 1960's abstract art was regarded by the Socialist regime as an ideologically hostile and retrograde phenomenon, a manifestation of Western deviation and capitalist snobbery.

The youth was discouraged from pursuing such art by various means, be that withholding information, jeering through the professional press, constructing administrative hindrances, or creating existential threats.

Thus, for the new generation, abstract art was a forbidden fruit up until the mid-60s in Hungary.

The exhibition focuses on the pivotal moment of art history in which Hungarian art the first half of the 60s, affected by Western reproductions and translated theoretical texts, denied the descriptive, figurative inscriptions, and entered the illegal realm of abstract painting.

The exhibition will feature co-curator Ákos Bánki’s documentary movie, Illegal Informel (2018), which reconstructs the events from half a century ago through the voice of artists who, having started their careers in the 50s, went to experiment with abstract artistic forms.

Venue:
Art + Text Budapest
1054 Budapest, Honvéd u, 3.

More:
Art + Text Budapest

  • How does this content make you feel?
  • Paid Sex in Budapest: How Hungary Became a Major Player in Europe’s Adult Industry

    Paid Sex in Budapest: How Hungary Became a Major Player in Europe’s Adult Industry

    • 1 Dec 2025 5:25 PM

    Hungary is third in the world for adult-film performers per capita - right after Czechia and Latvia - a ranking that often surprises many expats. With around 1,070 performers in a population of about 9.7 million, that works out to roughly 110 performers per million people. Budapest, in particular, has earned a reputation as a porn capital and a great place to get paid for having sex - as a center of adult-film production Budapest attracts porn talent from across Europe and beyond.

  • Marilyn Manson to Play in Budapest Again Next Year

    Marilyn Manson to Play in Budapest Again Next Year

    • 25 Nov 2025 4:45 PM

    Marilyn Manson, the provocative shock-rock star, and his band last visited Hungary in 2017, when they had a sold out show at Budapest Park. The iconic performer resumed touring last year, and next year — nearly a decade later — he will return to Budapest on July 22, again at Budapest Park.

  • Budapest Art Weekend: A City-Wide Contemporary Art Showcase

    Budapest Art Weekend: A City-Wide Contemporary Art Showcase

    • 25 Nov 2025 6:14 AM

    Get ready to explore Budapest’s contemporary art scene as the Art Weekend Budapest (AWB) festival returns, running from November 28 to 30. This year marks a significant expansion, featuring a record 42 participating venues for art enthusiasts to discover.