RUSSIA! ICONS AND THE AVANT GARDE

The narrative looks at the impact of traditional Russian icons (some of which date back to the 13th century) on the avant-garde artists of the early 20th century, with a particular focus on the 1910s and 20s. Despite their opposing viewpoints – sacred versus secular; figurative versus abstract, avant-garde artists borrowed heavily from the icons in a variety of ways.

This relationship is not a vague or subconscious one – artists were explicitly abstracting and re-imagining icons for their own times and agendas. During this stormy period, avant-garde artists looked forward to dramatic social, spiritual and cultural change and several of them thrived during the honeymoon years that followed the Revolution of 1917. But as the 1920s unfolded, the Communist government’s faith in the capacity of avant-garde art to address the masses declined and in 1932, abstraction was outlawed on account of its excessive interest in artistic rather than purely political matters. 

Published to accompany a major exhibition at the Ashmolean from July to December 2022.