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Red Star Over Russia: A Revolution in Visual Culture 1905–55

Adolf Strakhov - Emancipated Woman

Adolf Strakhov, “Emancipated Woman – Build Socialism!”, 1926. The David King Collection at Tate

‘Red Star Over Russia’ at Tate Modern To mark the centenary of the October Revolution, this autumn Tate Modern presents ‘Red Star over Russia: A Revolution in Visual Culture 1905 – 55’. 8 November 2017 – 18 February 2018.]]>

Source: Tate Modern

Drawn from the remarkable collection of the late graphic designer David King (1943 – 2016) the exhibition will offer a visual history of Russia and the Soviet Union. From the overthrow of the last Tsar and the revolutionary uprisings of 1917, through to the struggles of the Civil War and Stalin’s campaign of terror, the show will reveal how seismic political events led to the social transformation that inspired a wave of innovation in art and graphic design across the country.

Throughout his lifetime David King assembled one of the most comprehensive collections of Russian and Soviet material in the world, consisting of over a quarter of a million artefacts by famous and anonymous photographers, artists and designers. Featuring over 250 posters, paintings, photographs, books and ephemera, many on public display for the first time, “Red Star over Russia” will be a rare opportunity to explore this unique collection. It will provide a chance to understand how life and art were transformed during a momentous period in modern world history, and see how artists such as El Lissitzky, Aleksandr Rodchenko and Nina Vatolina captured the revolutionary hopes of a nation in an extraordinary outpouring of visual material.

From 1905 to 1955 Russian and Soviet citizens struggled against the odds to build a new society. The exhibition will explore how new popular art in the form of posters, periodicals, leaflets and banners informed, educated and entertained the people, filtering into the everyday lives of tens of millions of citizens.

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Red Star Over Russia: A Revolution in Visual Culture 1905–55