One of the best of the year:“Views and Re-Views” at Brown

From my review of “Views and Re-Views: Soviet Political Posters and Cartoons” at Brown University:

“Views and Re-Views: Soviet Political Posters and Cartoons” is one of the best exhibits you’ll see in New England this year.

The 160 posters offer a mirror-view of the 20th century. They prompt questions about war and peace, about economics and society that feel rivetingly urgent at a moment when oil dollars are fueling a resurgent Russia, when our debt-fueled consumerism is tanking, when Cold War stories (see Vietnam) are still dominating our politics, and when Russia’s invasion of Georgia last month is inspiring neo-Cold War posturing.

And they simply look cool.

Read the rest here.

“Views and Re-Views: Soviet Political Posters and Cartoons,” Brown University’s Bell Gallery, 64 College St., and John Hay Library, 20 Prospect St., Providence, Sept. 6 to Oct. 19, 2008.

Pictured from top to bottom: El Lissitzky, “Everything for the front! Everything for victory!” 1942; Valentina Kulagina, “International Working Women’s Day is the day of judging of socialist competition,” 1930; Gustav Klutsis, “The USSR is the Stakhanovite brigade of the world’s proletariat,” 1931; and Alexander Zhitomirsky, “Hysterical War Drummer,” 1948; all courtesy private collection.