MINISTRY OF INTERIOR
III/III-4-b subdivision
TOP SECRET!
B u d a p e s t, 20 December 1981
R E P O R T
by secret agent with the alias “Zoltán Pécsi”
(about plans to organise the World Art Post exhibition)
(excerpt)
1. (Galántai) wants to exhibit more than 600 original stamp designs in the Fészek [Nest] Artists’ Club. It is planned to be an independent show. Galántai is supported by the librarian of the club, a woman who is the main organiser of the fine art exhibitions too. The exhibitions are juried by a committee. (…)
2. Perhaps even more important for Galántai than the exhibition is to make an “assemblag” (sic!). In the first days of December he will begin to photocopy, make miniatures and copies of the more than 600 designs he received. According to his wife, this project should have been started much sooner. Processing the materials will take 6-10 hours a day for about two weeks. The objective is to make a catalogue-type booklet. The miniaturised, stamp-size reproduction of works will be arranged in a chessboard kind of way on every page of this booklet. If the ‘catalogue’ is ready, Galántai plans to send a copy to each participant (including those living overseas). This means that he needs to make a minimum of 500-600 copies. (Some artists sent more than one design.)
3. Hundreds of foreign artists who Galántai called on to send him works did not respond by the deadline. Galántai believes the reason for this is not the lack of interest but that these people simply “forgot” and put aside his call. For this reason he posted a reminder to some 200 foreign artists in the recent past. He received no replies to these.
Galántai is absolutely convinced that the artists he sent the call to submitted their works and believes that the authorities withheld them upon the instruction of Attila Zsigmond. He is planning, like before, to make a complaint at the competent organ of the post office in the building in Verseny Street. He has resolutely decided that he would raise this ‘issue’ at every possible forum and demand that the “materials be delivered”.
Tibor Horváth, 1st lieutenant
Registry number: 4/5-1021/81.
Printed in 4 copies