János Sugár Prosecuted for Spraying 'Wash Your Dirty Money With My Art' on Budapest Institutions
In the summer of 2008, Hungarian artist János Sugár showcased 'Wash your dirty money with my art' at Kunsthalle Budapest and also sprayed the phrase on the exteriors of two private art institutions. One of these institutions took legal action against him for property damage, prompting police involvement. Authorities deemed his act vandalism, estimating the damage at $7,500. Sugár maintained that it constituted public art and declined to pay. The court sentenced him to five months in prison, suspended, and lowered his fine from 1,400,000 forints to 34,000 forints ($150), considering the building's landmark status and Sugár's role as an educator. He intends to appeal. The phrase first appeared in his notebook and was used in a 2007 exhibition at Kunstverein Wolfsburg.
Key facts
- János Sugár sprayed 'Wash your dirty money with my art' on two private art institutions in Budapest in summer 2008
- One institution sued for property damage, with initial estimates at $7,500 for a 40×60 cm area
- Sugár exhibited the same phrase legally at Kunsthalle Budapest in the exhibition What's up?
- Authorities classified the spraying as vandalism, not art, leading to prosecution
- Court imposed a five-month suspended jail sentence and reduced fine of 34,000 forints ($150)
- Sugár argued the spraying was public art that generated social discussion
- The phrase originated from his notebook and was previously used in a 2007 exhibition at Kunstverein Wolfsburg
- Budapest had a 50 million HUF anti-graffiti campaign concurrent with Sugár's actions
Entities
Artists
- János Sugár
- Hedvig Turai
- Miklós Mécs
- Judit Fischer
Institutions
- Kunsthalle Budapest
- VAM Design Center
- Kunstverein Wolfsburg
- ARTMargins Online
- SZAF (Association of Mouth and Brain Painting Artists of the World)
- Municipal Government of Budapest
Locations
- Budapest
- Hungary
- Wolfsburg
- Germany
- Berlin
- Király Street
Sources
- ARTMargins —
- ARTMargins —