Artpool Archive Book Chronicles Hungarian Experimental Art Network Under Communism

Published in 2013 by Artpool in Budapest, the 536-page volume "Artpool: The Experimental Art Archive of East-Central Europe" documents the history of the alternative art archive founded by György Galántai and Júlia Klaniczay. The book, available as a free PDF, traces Artpool's origins to Galántai's Chapel Studio in Balatonboglár, which operated from 1970 to 1973 before being shut down by authorities. Artpool itself was founded in 1979 and operated illegally during the communist era, using mail art to connect Hungarian artists with an international network including figures like Anna Banana, Ken Friedman, Ben Vautier, Ray Johnson, and Guglielmo Achille Cavellini. The archive faced secret police surveillance, with informers' reports from 1983 acknowledging its role in connecting avant-garde circles. After 1989, Artpool gained legitimacy, moved to a central Budapest location in 1991 with municipal support, and expanded its activities to include exhibitions, festivals, and digital projects. The archive has digitized its holdings and offers free online access. Art historian Kristine Stiles contributed an introduction praising the book as a milestone. The volume includes a year-by-year illustrated account from 1979 to 2011, documenting collaborations with Hungarian artists such as Miklós Erdély, Tamás Szentjóby (St. Turba), Géza Perneczky, Endre Tót, and János Vető.