KOTANYI, Attila. [Original, untitled drawing]. 1960. 50 x 65 cm; colored inks on thick white stock. Provenance: Guy De Sauvage (Belgian painter and friend of Kotanyi).
Original drawing by Attila Kotanyi, one of the lesser-known figures of the Situationist International, during his exile in Belgium in the aftermath of the failed Hungarian revolution (1956).
Kotanyi’s joined the SI in the Spring of 1960, In a letter to Pinot-Gallizio dated 16 May 1960, Debord writes: “Parmi les “nouvelles recrues de l’I.S.”, je viens de rencontrer Attila Kotányi. Il est sensationnel : et Asger est très content.” (“Among the ‘new recruits to the SI’, I just met Attila Kotanyi. He is amazing: and Asger is very happy”). Kotanyi was excluded in 1963 for his alleged “Christian mysticism”. (see https://thesinisterquarter.wordpress.com/2012/08/19/on-the-exclusion-of-attila-kotanyi-2/).
In those short years, Kotanyi made numerous contributions to the SI
- “Gangland et Philosophie” (Issue 4, p.33) (English)
- “Rapport a la IVe conférence” (Issue 5, p.24)
- “Programme élémentaire du bureau d’urbanisme unitaire” (issue 6, p. 16) (English)
- “L’étage suivant” (issue 7, p. 47)
- (with Guy Debord and Raoul Vaneigem) “Theses sur la Commune” (first released as a tract, then reprinted in issue 12) (English)
Little has been written about Kotanyi and his role in the SI. We find an article here: http://exindex.hu/print.php?l=en&page=3&id=989
Do you have anymore information on the drawings?
Also, some corrections:
Kotányi was excluded in 1963 not 1962 – see: https://thesinisterquarter.wordpress.com/2012/08/19/on-the-exclusion-of-attila-kotanyi-2/.
It wasn’t just was he and Vaneigem that wrote “Theses sur la Commune”. Debord was also a co-signatory.
I have no further information, sadly. I will make the changes you suggest, thanks for the input!
I just finished Miklós Erhardt piece on Kotányi which you link to in the above. Sadly it is bereft of any real reckoning of Kotányi’s place in the SI, preferring instead hagiography and half-truths. The author is never one miss a chance to bash Debord, even though he bemoans this very same tactic that he attributes to Debord! In his rush to defend his hero Kotanyi, he is unable to see the wood stuck in his eye. We leaves us all still waiting for a good article on Kotányi…
Yes, I am wondering why Berreby didn’t do an interview book with him. That would have been really helpful