Photomontage Between the Wars (1918-1939)

October 15 - December 16, 2012

An extraordinary survey of politics, montage and design in 1920s Germany and the Soviet Union.

This exhibition surveys the birth of the photomontage process as an art form as it simultaneously developed in Germany and the Soviet Union in the 1920s, where the technique emerged and was adopted as an artistic medium during the interwar years.

In Soviet Russia, photomontage became a powerful political weapon in the hands of such artists as El Lissitzky and Aleksandr Rodchenko. These artists exploited the power of the photographic image to create propaganda posters touting the Soviet regime, the country’s economy, and the myths of Lenin and Stalin.

In Germany, John Heartfield and Max Burchartz used photomontage to create works that condemned the National Socialist regime as it rose to power in the 1930s.

The extensive range of posters in the exhibition, several of which are landmarks in the history of 20th-century graphic design, demonstrates the enormous influence of photomontage in politics, protest, publication, and advertising.

The works are all drawn from the world-class collection of Merrill C. Berman, and feature over 100 posters, books, magazines, and postcards by artists and graphic designers from 13 countries.

Curated by

Fundación Juan March, Madrid

Publication

Photomontage Between the Wars, 1918-1939

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