Sam Durant captures a pivotal moment in the escalation of the Cold War, as Hungarians rebelled against Soviet control in Budapest.
In 1956 the Stalinist leader, Mátyás Rákosi was overthrown and Hungarian resistance moved into the streets. The massive statue of Joseph Stalin in central Budapest was pulled down in October, but by December the Red Army had crushed the rebellion and restored Hungary to a Soviet client state. It was not until 1989 that Hungary was able to extricate itself from the Soviet Bloc.
Sam Durant, Budapest, 1956, (2018) Graphite on paper. 26 x 204.8 cm. © Sam Durant, Courtesy of the artist and Blum & Poe, Los Angeles/New York/Tokyo. Photo: Makenzie Goodman
