Poster Art of the Soviet Era

Drawn from TMORA’s important collection of Soviet-era posters, this exhibition highlights the paradox of the Soviet poster: both breathtakingly artistic and unapologetically idealogical. Soviet artists used unique, bold, and instantly recognizable graphic language to reach a broad audience with politically correct messages. And as in many other national cultures, posters were active tools conveying ideologies and representing political/national identities. At the same time, poster art of the Soviet era was by no means rigid. TMORA’s collection is extensive enough to trace the visual development of the poster as an art form. The exhibition explores the shift from experimental early works to tight formulaic imagery under Stalin, back to modernist aesthetics under Khrushchev, then entering a freeze under Brezhnev, and completely melting under Gorbachev.

The Museum of Russian Art is grateful to the collectors who have donated poster works to the Museum, including Gwenn and Eivind Djupedal, Igor Galynker, Dan Biersdorf, Carol Sime, and other generous donors.