Promote, Tolerate, Ban: Art and Culture in Cold War Hungary

The Wende Museum and the Getty Research Institute (GRI) are combining their rich and complementary Hungarian collections to convey the story of Hungary’s visual culture between the 1956 uprising in Budapest and the end of the regime in 1989. The exhibition will highlight Hungary’s unique culture among the Eastern Bloc countries, defined by loyalty to the Soviet Union in international matters combined with a relatively liberal climate in domestic and cultural affairs. Displaying paintings, photographs, advertisements, and material culture, the exhibition will offer insight into the shifting boundaries between official, semi-official, and unofficial or dissident art and culture in Hungary.