Piotr Piotrowski, Významy modernismu. K historii polského umění po roce 1945, Hradec Králové 2022, ISBN 978-80-87605-64-6 

Polish art historian Piotr Piotrowski’s fundamental Meanings of Modernism: Towards a History of Polish Art after 1945 describes key moments in the history of Polish art from the end of the Second World War until the 1990s. Piotrowski interprets his country’s art scene within the context of the prevailing social and political situation while boldly taking on numerous established, almost mythological interpretations, such as the division of art from the communist era into “official” and “unofficial” art. Nor does he shy away from critiquing the evolution of Polish society in the 1990s, including the role of the Catholic Church and the Solidarity movement. The book introduces readers to various ways of approaching the legacy of modernism, from the postwar crisis of the image to the neo-avant-garde of the sixties and seventies and the postmodernism of the late 20th century. Piotrowski takes note of how and why the status of art in Poland differed from that in other Soviet-bloc countries and explains what factors ultimately made this art attractive for Western curators. The publication features a rich set of illustrations. The original book was published in Poland in 1999 (Piotr Piotrowski, Znaczenia modernizmu. W stronę historii sztuki polskiej po 1945 roku; Poznań, 1999); the Czech translation was based on the second edition from 2011.

Edit András, Kulturní převlékání. Umění na troskách socialismu a na vrcholcích nacionalismu, Hradec Králové 2023, ISBN 978-80-87605-65-3

Cultural Crossdressing: Art on the Ruins of Socialism and on the Pinnacles of Nationalism (Kulturní převlékání. Umění na troskách socialismu a na vrcholcích nacionalismu) is a Czech translation of selected parts from two related books by Hungarian art historian and theorist Edit András: Cultural Crossdressing: Art on the Ruins of Socialism (2009 in Hungarian) and Imaginary Transgression: Contemporary Art and Critical Theory in Eastern Europe (2023 in Hungarian). The first part of the Czech publication looks at the Hungarian art scene, artistic trends and artists during the transformation era (1989–2010). The second part explores the period after 2010 (Fidesz’s rise to power), with a particular focus on authoritarian and nationalist tendencies in Hungary. Applying critical writing methods, András introduces readers to the country’s art scene and the work of Hungarian artists, with a special focus on socially engaged, socially sensitive and critical works. She is interested in the changing social status of art and the ways in which it has adapted to or resisted the current situation. She describes how post-socialist culture is coming to terms with its past, explores the gender aspects of Hungarian art, and studies the relationship between culture and power and how easily cultural and historical themes can be politically exploited.