DOI Artikel:
Bartošová, Zuzana: From the Scene to the Clandestine: International Activities of Artists on the Unofficial Slovak Art Scene 1973-1976 (from the 2nd Slovak Visual Artists' Union Congress, 2.11.1972 to Charter '77, 1.1.1977)
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.51713#0220
works by academically trained artists, such as local
educational institutions or cultural centres, lobbies of
administrative buildings and so forth. The majority
of these types of event was organized by individuals
operating in the so-called grey zone, employées of
the above-mentioned institutions who, to this day,
remain anonymous and who regarded the chance of
publicizing the work of an artist of the unofficial art
scene as an opportunity to carry out a personal act
of résistance and challenge the ruling régime.
International activities of artists
of the unofficial scene, as reflected in the
art historical literatuře
Since this study explores international activities of
artists of the unofficial Slovák art scene in the period
from 1973 to 1977, i.e. the most hard-line phase of
the so-called “normalization” era, it is obvious that
it would be pointless to look for articles exploring
this subject as a whole in publications that appeared
before the Velvet Revolution of 1989, with the ex-
ception of the book by Geneviève Bénamou.9 10
Since 1989 a number of key publications hâve ap-
peared, including some that reflect the phenomenon
of the unofficial art scene of the period in question
as an integral part of Slovák art, as well as some that
focus on art disciplines that had previously been
outside the focus of art journalism, although not
outside art history. Tomáš Strauss is the most notable
author to hâve studied this period consistently for
many years. By stating that “international contacts were
criminali^ed in the seventies”XÜ he seems to confirm my
assessment of events. Most publications exploring
this period from various points of view11 hâve been
mostly of a theoretical (interpretative) and memoir
9 BÉNAMOU, G.: U Art aujourd'hui en Tchécoslovaquie. Paris
1979.
10 STRAUSS, T: Sedemdesiate roky. Lámanie kultúry a charakte-
rov. In: STRAUSS, T.: Tri otáyniky. Odpat’desiatych kosemdesiatym
rokom. Bratislava 1993, p. 214.
11 STRAUSS, T: Slovenský variant moderny. Bratislava 1992;
STRAUSS, T.: Tri otáynlky. Odpât'desiatych k osemdesiatym rokom.
Bratislava 1993; STRAUSS, T: Metamorfósy umenia20. storočia.
Bratislava 2001.
12 BAKOŠ, J.: Umelec v klietke. Bratislava 1999.
character, referring to spécifie events — exhibitions,
actions etc. — only in general terms as part of the
historical context. These publications, similar to
those by Ján Bakoš12 and Mária Orišková,13 thus
explore the issue from a different perspective than
the present study, which aims to cover activities not
hitherto comprehensively mapped, as well as to
present information that will allow a more tangible
interprétation of Slovák visual art in the hard-line
phase of the so-called “normalization” period.
Certain expectations in this regard were raised
by the préparations for the 2002 Slovák National
Gallery exhibition entitled Slovák Visual Art 1970
— 1985 and particularly by the accompanying cata-
logue, conceived as a collection of studies by various
authors. Yet its editor, Aurel Hrabušický,14 despite
including some relevant texts, chose not to focus on
the international activities of artists belonging to the
unofficial art scene. As a resuit, individual authors
mention some exhibitions and events without men-
tioning others. What makes this art historical ap-
proach questionable is the absence of accompanying
manuals that are standard in catalogues produced by
European art muséums.
Neither can texts by foreign colleagues focusing
on the work of artists from our unofficial art scene
be an adéquate substitute for the kind of field re-
search that is normally expected from state galleries
and art muséums in situ. An example is the broadly
conceived and well researched monograph by Piotr
Piotrowski Avant-garde in the Shadow of YaltcV that
places the Slovák scene within a Central European
context, or the much shorter but highly relevant
earlier study by László Beke.16 Therefore, when em-
barking on the present study, I started by surveying
biographies and exhibition inventories as reflected in
13 OŘÍŠKOVÁ, M.: Dvojhlasné dějiny umenia. Bratislava 2002.
14 Slovenské vizuálně umenie 1970 — 1985. [Exhib. Cat.] Ed. A.
HRABUŠICKÝ. Bratislava : Slovenská národná galéria,
2002.
15 PIOTROWSKI, P: Awangarda v cieniu jalty. Sytuka w Tiuropie
Srodkowo-Wschodniej w latach 1945 — 1989. Poznaň 2005.
16 BEKE, L.: Conceptualist Tendencies in Eastern European
Art. In: Global Conceptualisme Points of Origin, 1950s — 1980s.
[Exhib. Cat.] New York : Queens Museum of Art, 1999, pp.
41-51.
212
educational institutions or cultural centres, lobbies of
administrative buildings and so forth. The majority
of these types of event was organized by individuals
operating in the so-called grey zone, employées of
the above-mentioned institutions who, to this day,
remain anonymous and who regarded the chance of
publicizing the work of an artist of the unofficial art
scene as an opportunity to carry out a personal act
of résistance and challenge the ruling régime.
International activities of artists
of the unofficial scene, as reflected in the
art historical literatuře
Since this study explores international activities of
artists of the unofficial Slovák art scene in the period
from 1973 to 1977, i.e. the most hard-line phase of
the so-called “normalization” era, it is obvious that
it would be pointless to look for articles exploring
this subject as a whole in publications that appeared
before the Velvet Revolution of 1989, with the ex-
ception of the book by Geneviève Bénamou.9 10
Since 1989 a number of key publications hâve ap-
peared, including some that reflect the phenomenon
of the unofficial art scene of the period in question
as an integral part of Slovák art, as well as some that
focus on art disciplines that had previously been
outside the focus of art journalism, although not
outside art history. Tomáš Strauss is the most notable
author to hâve studied this period consistently for
many years. By stating that “international contacts were
criminali^ed in the seventies”XÜ he seems to confirm my
assessment of events. Most publications exploring
this period from various points of view11 hâve been
mostly of a theoretical (interpretative) and memoir
9 BÉNAMOU, G.: U Art aujourd'hui en Tchécoslovaquie. Paris
1979.
10 STRAUSS, T: Sedemdesiate roky. Lámanie kultúry a charakte-
rov. In: STRAUSS, T.: Tri otáyniky. Odpat’desiatych kosemdesiatym
rokom. Bratislava 1993, p. 214.
11 STRAUSS, T: Slovenský variant moderny. Bratislava 1992;
STRAUSS, T.: Tri otáynlky. Odpât'desiatych k osemdesiatym rokom.
Bratislava 1993; STRAUSS, T: Metamorfósy umenia20. storočia.
Bratislava 2001.
12 BAKOŠ, J.: Umelec v klietke. Bratislava 1999.
character, referring to spécifie events — exhibitions,
actions etc. — only in general terms as part of the
historical context. These publications, similar to
those by Ján Bakoš12 and Mária Orišková,13 thus
explore the issue from a different perspective than
the present study, which aims to cover activities not
hitherto comprehensively mapped, as well as to
present information that will allow a more tangible
interprétation of Slovák visual art in the hard-line
phase of the so-called “normalization” period.
Certain expectations in this regard were raised
by the préparations for the 2002 Slovák National
Gallery exhibition entitled Slovák Visual Art 1970
— 1985 and particularly by the accompanying cata-
logue, conceived as a collection of studies by various
authors. Yet its editor, Aurel Hrabušický,14 despite
including some relevant texts, chose not to focus on
the international activities of artists belonging to the
unofficial art scene. As a resuit, individual authors
mention some exhibitions and events without men-
tioning others. What makes this art historical ap-
proach questionable is the absence of accompanying
manuals that are standard in catalogues produced by
European art muséums.
Neither can texts by foreign colleagues focusing
on the work of artists from our unofficial art scene
be an adéquate substitute for the kind of field re-
search that is normally expected from state galleries
and art muséums in situ. An example is the broadly
conceived and well researched monograph by Piotr
Piotrowski Avant-garde in the Shadow of YaltcV that
places the Slovák scene within a Central European
context, or the much shorter but highly relevant
earlier study by László Beke.16 Therefore, when em-
barking on the present study, I started by surveying
biographies and exhibition inventories as reflected in
13 OŘÍŠKOVÁ, M.: Dvojhlasné dějiny umenia. Bratislava 2002.
14 Slovenské vizuálně umenie 1970 — 1985. [Exhib. Cat.] Ed. A.
HRABUŠICKÝ. Bratislava : Slovenská národná galéria,
2002.
15 PIOTROWSKI, P: Awangarda v cieniu jalty. Sytuka w Tiuropie
Srodkowo-Wschodniej w latach 1945 — 1989. Poznaň 2005.
16 BEKE, L.: Conceptualist Tendencies in Eastern European
Art. In: Global Conceptualisme Points of Origin, 1950s — 1980s.
[Exhib. Cat.] New York : Queens Museum of Art, 1999, pp.
41-51.
212