Revolution: Russian Art 1917–1932
11 February - 17 April 2017
Main Galleries, Burlington House
Saturday – Thursday 10am – 6pm
Friday 10am – 10pm
£18 (without donation £16). Concessions available. Friends of the RA, and under 16s when with a fee-paying adult, go free.
Friends of the RA go free
One hundred years on from the Russian Revolution, this powerful exhibition explores one of the most momentous periods in modern world history through the lens of its groundbreaking art.
Please note: online tickets have now sold out. A limited number of tickets are available to buy in person at the box office. At busy times queuing may be necessary.
Renowned artists including Kandinsky, Malevich, Chagall and Rodchenko were among those to live through the fateful events of 1917, which ended centuries of Tsarist rule and shook Russian society to its foundations.
Amidst the tumult, the arts thrived as debates swirled over what form a new "people's" art should take. But the optimism was not to last: by the end of 1932, Stalin's brutal suppression had drawn the curtain down on creative freedom.
Taking inspiration from a remarkable exhibition shown in Russia just before Stalin's clampdown, we will mark the historic centenary by focusing on the 15-year period between 1917 and 1932 when possibilities initially seemed limitless and Russian art flourished across every medium.
This far-ranging exhibition will – for the first time – survey the entire artistic landscape of post-Revolutionary Russia, encompassing Kandinsky’s boldly innovative compositions, the dynamic abstractions of Malevich and the Suprematists, and the emergence of Socialist Realism, which would come to define Communist art as the only style accepted by the regime.
We will also include photography, sculpture, filmmaking by pioneers such as Eisenstein, and evocative propaganda posters from what was a golden era for graphic design. The human experience will be brought to life with a full-scale recreation of an apartment designed for communal living, and with everyday objects ranging from ration coupons and textiles to brilliantly original Soviet porcelain.
Revolutionary in their own right, together these works capture both the idealistic aspirations and the harsh reality of the Revolution and its aftermath.
All ticket prices include £2.50 for a printed gallery guide.
Saturday – Thursday 10am – 6pm
Friday 10am – 10pm
£18 (without donation £16). Concessions available. Friends of the RA, and under 16s when with a fee-paying adult, go free.
Friends of the RA go free
Supporters
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Reviews
"Vivid and varied – and often viscerally moving"
The Times
"A voyage of discovery"
Evening Standard"An epic, ambitious undertaking… This is history made resonant and relevant"
The Telegraph"a thrilling, chilling show"
The Financial Times"a corrective to the more narrow focus we often have on avant-garde art in revolutionary Russia"
The Guardian"the first time we have been able to see the art of the Revolution whole."
The Observer"...loans obtained from Russia that you will never have seen and many that you will not see again"
The Independent“fascinating and absorbing”
Time Out
Malevich in 60 seconds
Tim Marlow introduces Kazimir Malevich, the artist whose bold experimentations with form and colour led him to create one of the most radical and influential paintings in the history of art - The Black Square. Malevich painted four versions of this iconic work, one of which is on display in Revolution: Russian Art 1917–1932.
'Revolution: Russian Art 1917-1932'
Get a taste of the exhibition with this teaser video, showing you just some of the photography, porcelain and portraits on display.
Gallery
The Bolshevik, 1920
V.I.Lenin and a Demonstration, 1919
Fantasy, 1925
Red spinner, 1930
Dynamic Suprematism Supremus, c. 1915
Peasants, c. 1930
Blue Crest (detail), 1917
Advertisement 'Of course, cream-soda!', 1926
Late night openings
From exhibition-inspired food and drink to free talks inside the shows, there are plenty of reasons to visit the RA after dark. Unwind after a busy week and visit late any Friday, or on:
Saturday 15 April 10am – 10pm
Sunday 16 April 10am – 8pm
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Inside the show: art of the Russian Revolution
23 March 2017
Browse the Revolution: Russian Art 1917–1932 range
Published to coincide with the centenary of the 1917 October revolution, this volume explores the extraordinary flowering of the arts during the first 15 years of the Soviet state up until Stalin's brutal suppression of the avant-garde in 1932.
This stylish watch has been inspired by the bold geometric work of the great Russian Suprematist Kazimir Malevich and has previously been featured in Shortlist magazine.
Make a statement with this handy canvas tote bag, printed with Alexander Rodchenko's advertisement for Three Hills Beer. The striking design showcases the radical new design and typography associated with Russian Constructivism.
Tours
Get more out of the exhibition
Exhibition tours
45-minute introductory tours, free with an exhibition ticket, no booking required.
Wednesdays at 2.30pm, Fridays at 7pm (until 31 March)
Meet in the first gallery of the exhibition.
Resources
Delve into the art of the Russian Revolution with the exhibition in focus guide, our in-depth introduction to the exhibition for secondary and further education students and teachers. Download our bespoke teacher guides for the exhibition, available for KS2/KS3 and KS4/KS5.
We offer large-print guides to all of our exhibitions, available online or at the galleries for the duration of the show.
Travel competition
Win two places on a Cox & Kings luxury tour of St Petersburg and Moscow
To celebrate Revolution: Russian Art 1917-1932, we're giving you and a guest the chance to spend eight days and seven nights exploring Russia's two greatest cities with Cox & Kings.