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Sculpture for Soviet Domestic Enemy No.1

For two weeks in November 1988, Soviet nuclear physicist and activist Andrei Sakharov visited the United States. It was a triumphant moment near the end of the life of a man who both pioneered nuclear technology and campaigned to prevent the outbreak of nuclear war. From 1948, Andrei Sakharov had participated in the Soviet atomic bomb project, going on to mastermind the development of thermonuclear … Continue reading Sculpture for Soviet Domestic Enemy No.1

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Recommended

Recommended: Zimmerli Art Museum

New Jersey is the unlikely home of the world’s largest collection of Nonconformist Soviet art. Since 1991 the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, has hosted Norton T. Dodge’s incomparable collection of underground art, smuggled out of the USSR between the Khrushchev Thaw and Glasnost. The incredible story of the economics professor who became the saviour of unofficial Soviet art is the subject … Continue reading Recommended: Zimmerli Art Museum

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Recommended

Recommended: Moscow’s Graveyard for Soviet Monuments

The so-called New Tretyakov, the Krymsky Val branch of Moscow’s premier art museum, is a treat in itself for the Cold War enthusiast. Housing the gallery’s collection of 20th century art, it contains many iconic Russian paintings and sculptures, from revolutionary abstraction to Socialist Realism. But for something altogether more quirky, visitors should venture outside. The fact you are there invited to connect to the … Continue reading Recommended: Moscow’s Graveyard for Soviet Monuments

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Igor Palmin: Photographing the Unofficial Soviet Art World

Flickr recently became a gateway into the art world of Soviet Russia thanks to photographer Igor Palmin, who uploaded his vast back catalogue onto the site. During the 1950s Palmin worked as a film cameraman and his training in cinematography is conspicuous in these absorbing photographs. Mostly taken in black-and-white, the strong sense of narrative and romance is heightened further with nostalgia for a lost … Continue reading Igor Palmin: Photographing the Unofficial Soviet Art World

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Exhibition of the Month

Exhibition of the Month: Viktor Popkov: Genius of the Russian Soul

At London’s Somerset House Viktor Popkov: Genius of the Russian Soul is currently highlighting the work of one of the USSR’s most acclaimed artists. As one may expect of an exhibition that forms part of the UK-Russia Year of Culture, the curators are keen to present these classics of Socialist Realism as much more than propaganda. Viktor Popkov was born in 1932 and the start … Continue reading Exhibition of the Month: Viktor Popkov: Genius of the Russian Soul

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The Reclining Lenins of Ukraine

In times of revolution, political statuary often pays the price. Since Ukraine’s latest troubles began, sculptures symbolising the country’s turbulent relationship with Russia have felt the full force of the nation’s anger. A “statue war” between pro- and anti-Russian citizens foreshadowed the current crisis, with at least 12 statues of Lenin defaced in Ukraine since 2009. One of the casualties was a historic statue in the … Continue reading The Reclining Lenins of Ukraine

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