partnereink
ALTORJAI, Sándor
ALTORJAI, Sándor
painter
Maklár, 26th January 1933 – Szigliget, 10th October 1979
Studied in the Dési Huber Circle, and between 1958 and 1963, already a graduate pharmacist, was a student of the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts, where his masters were Endre Fenyő A., Géza Fónyi, Gyula Hincz and Jenő Barcsay. Between 1959 and 1964 he worked at various artists’ colonies (Sümeg, Salgótarján, Hódmezővásárhely, Kecskemét). In 1960 he went on a field-trip to Moscow, in 1962 to Prague, and in 1969 to Paris. From 1965 he lived in Szigliget, where he built a house and managed a farm. From the mid-1960s his friendship with Ákos Szabó and Miklós Erdély was of determining importance, with whom he participated at joint avantgarde events: Hidden parameters (film premiere by Miklós Erdély, Kossuth Club, 1968). At his 1971 exhibition his self-ironical writing, The manifesto of ’gyagyaism’ (a pun from ’Dadaism’, meaning ‘barmyism’) was read out by Miklós Erdély. He also had a role in Erdély’s 1979 film, Version. One trend in his art can be classified as surnaturalism, in which his colourful pictures, painted with pouring, rubbing and sucking techniques, depict the characters of his individual mythology (Portrait of my drunken fish self, 1970; Uncle Barmy in the shape of a red guru, 1970–71). His increasing awareness of his illness urged him to produce ever more provocative and sour pieces; giant montages and extended versions of his previous works were born. His posthumous exhibition realised in 1980 was prepared by himself, with the help of Zoltán Érmezei.
One-Man Shows:
1971 • Mednyánszky Terem, Budapest
1976 • FMK, Budapest [banned]
1980 • Óbuda Galéria, Budapest
1984 • Szigliget
1990 • Szent István Király Múzeum, Székesfehérvár
1998 • Artpool, Budapest
2003–2004 • Műcsarnok, Budapest; K. Petrys Ház, Budapest.
Selected Group Exhibitions:
1964 • Winter Exhibition, Csók Képtár, Székesfehérvár
1966 • Studio '66, Ernst Múzeum, Budapest
1967 • Studio '67, Ernst Múzeum, Budapest
1980 • Tendencies 1970–1980, 1., New art in 1970, Óbuda Galéria, Budapest 1981 • Tendencies 1970–1980, 6. „Hard and soft” postconceptual tendencies, Óbuda Galéria, Budapest
1984 • Shoved still life, Fészek Galéria, Budapest
1985 • 101 objects. Art of objects in Hungary, Óbuda Galéria, Budapest
1987 • Magical works of art, Budapest Galéria, Lajos Street, Budapest • Old and new avantgarde (1967–1975). Hungarian art of the twentieth century, Csók Képtár, Székesfehérvár
1993 • Variations on pop-art – Chapters from the Hungarian fine art, Ernst Múzeum, Budapest.
Main Works:
1967: Let me sink upwards, Magyar Nemzeti Galéria, Budapest
1975-76: Painting for the blind, Első Magyar Látványtár
1979: Hypokinesis (Salome demontage 22.), Első Magyar Látványtár
1979: Jet-propelled coffin with a blue leopard…, Janus Pannónius Múzeum, Pécs
Bibliography:
"De mit takar, ami takar..." (Excerpts from ~’s posthumous papers), Artpool Letter, January 1984 (appendix)
