MINISTER FOR CULTURE AND EDUCATION

György Galántai
artist
Budapest

July 1992

Dear Mr. Galántai,

On the basis of information provided to us by the following relevant organizations – the Art Fund of the Hungarian Republic, the Hungarian Art Academy, the Somogy County Archives and the Mayor’s Office of the Boglárlelle Municipal Local Government – the Committee for Rehabilitation formed by the government took a clear stand at its session on June 1992 in regard to your petition.

The committee established that over a period of years you were harassed and pushed to the background for political reasons and in the name of a policy on the arts that sought exclusiveness. The authorities were unable to comprehend your progressive notions and aspirations that were at variance with the dominant artistic trends of the period, and, therefore, openly applied administrative measures against you.

The successive political intervention of prominent individuals was used to attempt to discredit you morally and bring into question your artistic credibility; and by including you in the “tolerated” category, to make it impossible for you to be financially self-sufficent; and, furthermore, to cut you off from the wider public opinion through limited publicity.

This hostile atmosphere only dissipated in the 1980s

The committee condemns the actions of the authorities in the strongest terms, as well as the restrictions placed on human and artistic freedoms, including their hindering of the development of talent, and the subordination of artistic trends to political aspirations of the day. Moreover, the committee disassociates itself from the unjust politically motivated decisions made at the time.

As a result of all of this, the committee – in the name of the government – expresses its apologies in place of those who caused the grievances against you.

In the name of the committee, and my own, I wish you good health, artistic success and happiness in your personal life.

Yours sincerely,
Dr. Bertalan Andrásfalvy

(English translation by Krisztina Sarkady-Hart)