Revoliutsiia! Demonstratsiia! Soviet Art Put to the Test

The October Revolution of 1917 changed the course of world history; it also turned Russia into a showcase filled with models. Every object and sphere of activity had to demonstrate how society could be remade according to revolutionary principles. It would take intensive experimentation and discussion to determine the shape of this unprecedented society. To be realized in any concrete way, communism had to be modeled and put on display.

Soviet Art Put to the Test accordingly fills Regenstein Hall and its adjoining galleries with ten model display spaces from the early Soviet era. Each of these spaces holds rare works of art and features expert, life-size reconstructions of early Soviet display objects or display spaces, commissioned especially for this exhibition.

These ten displays—and the nearly 550 works they contain—come together in this presentation, the largest exhibition of Soviet art to take place in the United States in 25 years. Visitors have the opportunity to explore the trajectory of early Soviet art in all its forms and consider what it tells us about socially minded art now.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website