The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum

Skip to main content

Important Update

The Museum is open until 7 pm every Friday this summer. Click here to book.

June 9, 1990, to October 7, 1990 |

Adaptation and Negation of Socialist Realism: Contemporary Soviet Art

Adaption and Negation of Socialist Realism is one of the first full-scape exhibitions of contemporary Soviet art to be hosted in the United States. It is also being held at one of the most critical moments in history since World War II.

Political climates greatly influences the planning of an exhibition of this nature. Prior to Perestroika it would have been impossible to mount such an exhibition. The recent political upheaval in the east has opened doors and allowed this exhibition to be forthcoming. It is very exciting to have the political freedom and opportunity to present works by contemporary Soviet artists.

We have many prejudices and predetermined impressions of Soviet art and it is out mission to dispel those myths. Westerners as well as Soviets have been blinded by ideology. Now we have the opportunity to judge as we see. This exhibition is a selection of work by official and unofficial Soviet artists. All of these artists were well formed prior to Perestroika.

Curated by Ellen M. O’Donnell

Artists: Erik Bulatov, Ivan Chuikov, Yuri Dyshlenko, Simon Faibisovich, Eduard Gorokhovsky, Francisco Infante-Arana, Ilya Kabakov, Igor Kopystiansky, Svetlana Kopystiansky, Igor Makarevich, Natalia Nesterova, Boris Orlov, Dmitri Prigov, Oleg Vassilievo

Top image: Erik Bulatov, Perestroika, 1989, Oil on Canvas.