Now, let's talk about art. Art with caps. And how things are going in Hungary (and -I think- in East and less in West as well). As everybody knows, in the late 18th century there was only the "academic" style with well-defined rules about almost everything concerning the "production" of a work of art. So, there was a group, the academicians, who defined what could be considered as art. In opposition of this evolved the "-ism" 's with new concepts, views of the "artistic" way. As these new currents got a very good reception among the public, the representatives of the "academic" style-art were driven back and gradually adopted the new currents among with throwing away the old style. Art flourished for many years... till the communist dictators come to rule the East. There is no much to say about the past 50 years. At least in the eastern side of Europe.
Beginning with the '90's, artist from East are getting familiarized with the new waves of West in past 50 years and started to adopt that in their works. Unfortunately, with the new, unfamiliar, market economy, and large budget cuts, only a few of them could get enough financial support to be present on top-ranking exhibitions and festivals. And they were who later got vital positions in art-financing foundations, govt offices and museums, as -then, and now- well-known artists. So they are deciding now who will get money for its exhibition and who will not. Now they are lords of living and death in the field of art: you're in the gang, you get your activity financed by someone; you're not: you can f.ck yourself. And more embarrassing: anyone from the "group" can stole your ideas and come out with a similar exhibition without any professional or legal consequences. Let's take two examples on that: let's suppose that you're a wanna-be PHD and you're coming forth with a project on something involving art and one of the social sciences. You're showing up with your project at the admission commission, who after long debates rejects your application. It's OK, you will apply at another institute, where finally you're accepted and the project can be started. After a few months (let's say 7-8), you learn about a strange (familiar?) exhibition, where not only the concept is suspiciously similar with yours: the introductory essay but 2-3 unimportant sentences it's yours word by word. After you've questioned some people turns out: the exhibitors are students of the prof, who rejected your application. After you finish the three-years phd, if you come out with an exhibition with your work based on your idea, I'm pretty sure that you will be banned for that. So who's the thief here? You? The well-known prof? The student of the well-known prof? Hmmm...
The second story: imagine that you are a guest student in one of the departments of an art university. And you have some unusual work (more precisely a series of them) and you present a few of them for the others (students and profs) during the introductory courses. The audition is divided about them, but no one has serious counter-argument against. Well, time passes, you finish your studies and you leave the city for a while to return home, but you can't live without and you'll return to study in a second institute. And what happens? You discover a familiar picture in a festival's web site. Definitely it's not yours. But the concept is the same. Surprisingly the same. And surprisingly, turns out that the page is hosted by an art-foundation well tied to a prof of the previous institute and the design was made by some students from that institute. Curious, isn't?
Let's stop story-telling here. I know that there are many similar cases, even worse ones.
And that's how things are evolved: from a rigid, theoretical art through many innovative currents we are at a badly financed art-community, where not originality, but good contacts matters. You're in the gang: you can get financed and you can exhibit. You're not in: you can wake up that even your ideas were "borrowed" by someone. It's sad? Yes. It's tragic? Yes. It's disastrous? No. Can we do something against? Yes. But it's hard. How? Be critic. Look behind the scenes. Read. And do not belive :)
Finally, go and see Monet & co. at Museum of Fine Arts on Heroes' Square. They were original. They are original. More on art soon (I think that will be about exhibitions and in hungarian).

Sorry for my english, I'm not a native speaker.