1917: 100 Years On - Reflections On Art In The Soviet Union. Then And Now

1917: 100 YEARS ON - REFLECTIONS ON ART IN THE SOVIET UNION. THEN AND NOW

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION with IVAN LINDSAY, JOHN MILNER AND MARGY KINMONTH

Chaired by Theodora Clarke, Editor at Russian Art and Culture

The Russian Bookshop at Waterstones and Russian Art and Culture are delighted to present a roundtable discussion with major figures working in the field of Russian art, ahead of the centenary of the Russian Revolution. The twentieth century in Russia was a major moment of cultural and social upheaval after the abolition of centuries of Tsarist rule. Artists were spurred on to create works that would come to define a new age. The large body of painting and sculpture created in the Soviet Union reflects - and in many cases, pushes against - the restrictions and complexities inherent in making art under totalitarianism.

Our speakers will discuss the groundbreaking art that emerged with the creation of the new Soviet state and consider how artists originally thrived in the new Soviet Union but also how by 1932 a curtain came down on creative freedom and a new style of Socialist Realism was introduced. The panel will shed light on the incredible breadth of pre- and post-revolutionary Russian art and confront the question of its legacy. Focusing on these themes they will help reveal to what extent and how we speak of Soviet art as a whole.

This event coincides with the release of a new major publication, Masterpieces of Soviet Painting and Sculpture, by Rena Lavery and Ivan Lindsay, published by the Unicorn Press. The author will discuss Soviet works in museums and private collections, highlights from the Moscow School of Painting and large public monuments and personal sculptures. Curator John Milner will share with us a preview of the Royal Academy’s upcoming exhibition on Russian art in 2017. This far-ranging exhibition will survey the artistic landscape of post-Revolutionary Russia, from the abstractions of Malevich and Kandinsky to the emergence of Socialist Realism. Film director Margy Kinmouth will discuss her new documentary which features artists of the Russian avant-garde such as Chagall, Malevich and Kandinsky which was filmed in Moscow, St Petersburg and London with access to the Tretyakov Gallery, Russian Museum and Hermitage. The speakers will discuss how artists captured both the idealistic aspirations and the harsh reality of the Revolution and its aftermath. The panel will be chaired by Theodora Clarke, Editor of Russian Art and Culture, who founded the bi-annual guide to Russian Art Week in London.