Boros Géza: Statue Park - Our Budapest (Budapest, 2002)
The main façace wall
Artist of the Hungarian People’s Republic were Iván Szabó (1970), László Marton (1980) and György Segesdi (1985). The slightly less prestigious order of the Distinguished Artist of the Hungarian People's Republic was awarded to Aladár Farkas (1971) and Viktor Kalló (1984). As an artist Farkas was regarded as a steadfast adherent of communist dogma, as were Zoltán Olcsai Kiss, Tamás Gyenes, György Baksa Soós and Agamemnon Makrisz, a Greek immigrant known for his leftist views. Former workers turned politically engaged artists included Sándor Mikus and Viktor Kalló. Special mention should be made of István Kiss, an artist represented with the largest number of pieces in the Statue Park, who, besides receiving every possible formal recognition as an artist, headed the Association of Hungarian Artists for ten years from 1975, acted as rector of the Hungarian Fine Arts College from 1985 to 1990, and was a member of the Central Committee of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party between 1975 and 1989. One of the most-employed and acknowledged artists under the cultural politics of late state socialism, Imre Varga, sat in parliament from 1980 to 1990. Characteristic of the genre of public monuments is the fact that just as Kis- faludi Strobl and Pátzay, recognised artists already in the Horthy era, were able to adapt to the demands of their mighty employers who came to power in 1945, so did Imre Varga and László Marton manage to execute a perfect turn-about after 1989. With Pátzay's nomenclature they can be described as professional' sculptors, capable of lending their artistic expertise to whatever political power might be issuing the commissions. There are forty items held in the Statue Park (of which six are simple, inscribed plaques of no artistic significance). The individual monuments are discussed below in the order of their inventory numbers and according to the architectural philosophy referred to above. (See map at the back of the volume.) The main facade wall The opening feature of the Statue Park is a monumental portal, a grandiose facade composed of the characteristic elements of Socialist-Realist architecture. The middle section of the three-fold portal is crowned with a tympanum. What is slightly' amiss is that there is no building behind it all. What is in fact behind the portal is just the indispensable abutment and the torso of a reception building. This mock-wall can be interpreted as the Tagadé of communism', an unfulfilled promise, which is revealed for what it is as soon as we step out of our 10
