Gábor Altorjay's Fluxus Connections and Post-Art Journey in Germany
In a 2020 interview, Gábor Altorjay, an artist originally from Hungary, shared his journey from Budapest to Germany in 1967, where he connected with prominent Fluxus artists such as Wolf Vostell and Bazon Brock. That same year, he took part in a happening at a student union pub organized by Brock, where Joschka Fischer was employed. Sohm played a crucial role in introducing Altorjay to influential figures at the Frankfurt Book Fair. He collaborated with Marta Minujín on 15 Actions in 1967, which he later revisited in 2007. By spring 1968, Altorjay resided in Cologne, participating in anti-art market initiatives. He established Combine #1 in 1968 and stopped creating art by 1971 to join an anarchist group. From 1980 to 2000, he worked in film, returning to art in 1993, and has recently explored popcorn as a medium.
Key facts
- Gábor Altorjay left Hungary in 1967 and moved to Stuttgart, then Cologne, Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Berlin.
- He connected with Fluxus artist Wolf Vostell and collector Hanns Sohm, who introduced him to the Fluxus scene at the 1967 Frankfurt Book Fair.
- Altorjay participated in a happening with Bazon Brock in Stuttgart in 1967, where Joschka Fischer was behind the bar.
- He designed 15 Actions for Marta Minujin in 1967, performed in 2007 at the Budapest Art Academy.
- Altorjay lived in Cologne in 1968, engaging in anti-art market activities and founding Combine #1 with Mauricio Kagel and others.
- He stopped making art in 1971, disillusioned by political events, and ran a left-wing news agency from 1973.
- Altorjay returned to art through a 1993 exhibition at Artpool in Budapest, where the Hungarian National Gallery bought his work.
- He has focused on popcorn as art since the 2000s, including Popcorner at Museum Ludwig in 2008.
Entities
Artists
- Gábor Altorjay
- Sven Spieker
- Wolf Vostell
- Bazon Brock
- Dieter Roth
- Joschka Fischer
- Emmett Williams
- Ben Patterson
- Dick Higgins
- Alison Knowles
- Franz Mohn
- Naim June Paik
- Al Hansen
- George Maciunas
- Robert Filiou
- Marta Minujín
- Allan Kaprow
- Jörg Immendorff
- Chris Reinecke
- Laszlo Lakner
- Imre Bak
- Tadeusz Kantor
- György Konrad
- Miklos Haraszti
- Tamas Szentjoby
- Miklos Erdely
- Iggy Pop
- David Bowie
- Bryan Ferry
- Neger Kalle
- Mauricio Kagel
- Fritz Heubach
- Alfred Feussner
- Johannes Fritsch
- Karlheinz Stockhausen
- Mary Bauermeister
- René Block
- Bobby Seal
Institutions
- ARTMargins Online
- Staatsgallerie Stuttgart
- SDS (student union)
- Typus publishing house
- Budapest Art Academy
- General Pop
- West German Radio Corporation (WDR)
- Artpool archive
- Hungarian National Gallery
- Museum Ludwig
- Dankerrt Theater
- Wagenbach publishing house
- Green Party
Locations
- Berlin
- Germany
- Stuttgart
- Cologne
- Frankfurt
- Hamburg
- Hungary
- Markkröningen
- New York
- West Berlin
- Buenos Aires
- Argentina
- Trier
- Paris
- Poland
- Laos
- Cambodia
- Nuremberg
- United States
- East Germany
- South Korea
- Pankow
- Nicaragua
- Budapest