books from Russia organized by Brian Hannon
Brian Hannon, curator of this exhibition and former Executive Director, said of the exhibit: “The Center for Book Arts is proud to present the second exhibition in a season that features bookmaking from other countries. Soviet and Subversive Books from Russia juxtaposes the commercially-printed and bound books sanctioned by the Soviet government (usually portraying an ideal Soviet life) with secretly handmade books and pamphlets of artists which reveal how people actually lived and coped with the oppression of the Communist era.
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Some of the artists shown here were illustrators for huge Soviet publishing industry, but also created works of their own, which they privately circulated among their friends. This venue is the first for some to publicly show their works.”
Support for the Center for Book Arts’ visual arts programming is provided, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
