The Russian avant-garde flourished from about 1890 to 1930, and reached its creative and popular peak in the period of the Russian Revolution of 1917 that removed the Tsar from power and swept Lenin to leadership. This new artistic movement resonated so closely with political events and slogans in the country that it served as the main mouthpiece for the revolutionary movement over several years.
Everything that was old was removed or renounced, including bourgeois art, and new artworks were created instead. The new government worked closely with artists, becoming their primary customer, creating strong political propaganda through art. Avant-garde was a totalitarian movement aimed to incorporate art into the everyday life of a new society.
However, when the later state-sponsored artistic direction of Social Realism emerged, its ideas clashed with those of the avant-garde movement. After this was decreed the sole sanctioned style of art under Stalinism, the avant-garde movement was silenced, its artworks were banned and kept in warehouses for decades.
Thanks to interest from the West, these works gradually re-emerged years later and have been significantly shaping other artistic movements around the world ever since. The bold, vivid and imaginative film being screened in Budapest tells the detailed story of the Russian avant-garde and its pioneer artists.
The venue is the beautiful Castle Garden Bazaar – entrance from Clark Ádám Square – and tickets cost 1,600 forints for adults and 800 forints for students. The film is showing with English audio and Hungarian subtitles on January 31st at 6pm. Those who miss it can attend another screening on February 24th. More details
