Rédey Judit (szerk.): Nyitunk, Plakátok a szocializmusban, 1945-1989, Magyar Kereskedelmi és Vendéglátóipari Múzeum időszaki kiállítás 2009. október - 2010. február. Kiállításvezető (Budapest, Magyar Kereskedelmi és Vendéglátóipari Múzeum, 2009)

INTRODUCTION "Hungarian applied graphic art was given a new lease of life, although it had been born earlier. Ii leapt out 'in full armament' so to speak. Thanks to the Great Depression in the Thirties (and later the upturn), Hungary boasted a gifted, experienced and knowledgeable community of graphic artists - meaning those who survived the war at all. Each and every one of them possessed a mature style." ()ános Frank) Artists with a long career in graphic art behind them and still active after the war included Gusztáv Végh, Sándor Bortnyik, lózsef Bottlik, and there were younger artists, such as ]ános Repcze, György Pál, Tibor Gönczi Gebhardt, György Konecsni, Pál Gábor, Filo (Ilona Fischer), Gitta Mallász, Iván Méhely, Győző Szilas, László Káldor, Gábor Papp, the Macskássy brothers and many others. The future generations were in good hands when after 1945 the training of graphic artists for modern poster design was organised by György Konecsni, professor at the Academy of Applied Arts and, after the poster graphics department was moved there, the Academy of Fine Arts. Good artists were in high demand, because the poster enjoyed huge popularity in the period following World War TWo. Not counting the media, bills were the foremost means of social and political communication. In addition to political posters, commercial advertisements appeared in the streets, too. Initially posters were distributed by the Székesfővárosi Hirdető Vállalat |Municipal Advertising Companyl in Budapest and the country. In 1949 the Economic Planning Council decided to set up, in the spirit of centralisation, the Állami Hirdető Vállalat |State Advertising Company], a company of national jurisdiction, which was responsible for distributing posters, public-space commercial and media advertisements in 120 towns and villages around Hungary. The company was rechristened Magyar Hirdető (MAHIR) [Hungarian Advertising! in 1956 and its activity was extended to design and research, managing advertisement campaigns, producing posters, leaflets and commercials, and distributing advertisements by means of the press, radio and later television. MAHIR had headquarters and branch offices in the 19 county towns. At the end of the Eighties, competing media and PR companies appeared and MAHIR's cut of the Hungarian advertising market began to dwindle. In 1992 it became a share company. 23