KOLLER - ALBUM, ANGOL

If the aim of this book would only be to report about the operations and the most important exhibitions of the Koller Gallery in the past 60 years, it would already be an indispensable contribution to the history of Hungarian art trade. György Koller wondrously managed during the circumstances of communist dictatorship to receive the permission to trade of the authorities and so in 1953 the “Munkácsy Mihály Creative Community of Etching Artists” was founded. Koller advised the artists to use the technique of limited edition graphics as they could be sold better, and it also meant that artworks of high quality were affordable for a broader public. For the sales he developed his own net of agents. The geniality of the idea was soon visible: his leading artists gained such popularity they would have never dreamed of, all the while forming the artistic taste of a whole generation. Above all “The Koller” was not a gallery, rather the gallerist, György Koller, turned into an institution. With astonishing vitality and inventiveness and in spite of the most difficult circumstances, he provided the artists with the opportunity to earn their living. Thanks to his charismatic personality the artists formed a community. His closest friends were István Szőnyi, Lajos Szalay, Miklós Borsos, János Kass and last but not least Amerigo Tot, Miklós Melocco and Imre Varga. The author of this book, Balázs Feledy, not only presents us parts of the history of art through the presentation of numerous correspondences between the artists, but also offers us an intriguing insight into the private history in the 20th century.
With this book the descendants honour the grandfather as the founder and at the same time celebrate the 60th anniversary of the noble traditions of the gallery.