Red Horizon
On View June 16, 2017 – September 24, 2017
Coinciding with the centennial of the 1917 Russian Revolution, Columbus Museum of Art presents Red Horizon: Contemporary Art and Photography in the USSR and Russia, 1960-2010, on view June 16 through September 24, 2017. This timely exhibition is drawn from two facets of Neil K. Rector’s world-class art collection: Soviet and Russian photography from the 1970s to the early 1990s, and the work of Moscow-based unofficial artists who came to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s. Combining more than 300 works from these two aspects of the collection, Red Horizon offers fresh perspective on the art and life of this period, and suggests how creativity and critical thinking manifest themselves under the most difficult social and ideological circumstances.
Red Horizon looks at the period shortly after Joseph Stalin’s death in 1953 until the late 1980s and beyond, when artists attempted to represent the everyday realities of the USSR and Russia. The exhibition is organized around four thematic sections, each of which mixes a variety of styles and media, including Pop and Conceptual art, documentary photography, Surrealism and abstraction. All of them explore the gap between government-sanctioned orthodoxies and life as it was.
Many of the artists included in the exhibition created work in an environment of political and cultural oppression. Columbus Museum of Art stands committed to the power of art and artists to bridge perspectives, to fuel our imagination, and to create opportunities to explore the complexities of the human experience. We believe it is our responsibility as a museum to champion art and creativity as well as to create a space for community dialogue and understanding. Now, more than ever, we need spaces where communities can gather, face to face, to listen and learn.
Red Horizon Member Preview Party
June 15, 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Members RSVP
Not a member? Join today and be here for this exclusive Preview Party.
Art of Cuisine: Red Horizon
July 11, 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Join collector Neil K. Rector and CMA curators Tyler Cann and Drew Sawyer for a dinner party inspired by Red Horizon. Please contact Donor Events Manager Betsy Meacham to purchase tickets, 614.629.0328.
Red Horizon Panel Discussion
September 14, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
In conjunction with the exhibition Red Horizon, a panel of artists, art historians, and curators will discuss the politics of cultural production in the USSR during the 20th century and the continued relevancy of the art of dissent today. Participants include the artists Vitaly Komar and Alexey Titarenko; Natalia Sidlina, curator of Russian art at Tate Modern in London; and Christina Kiaer, Associate Professor of Art History at Northwestern University. This discussion is presented in partnership with the Department of History of Art at The Ohio State University. This program is free and open to all; however, registration is available here. For questions, please call 614.629.0359.
[Top Image: Red Horizon, 1971-2000 by Eric Bulatov, Collection of Neil K. Rector © 2017 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris]
