Socialist Realisms: Soviet Painting 1920-1970 by Matthew Bown and Zelfira Tregulova

The development of Soviet realist painting over fifty years through a selection of works from Russia's leading museums. Socialist Realism was and remains an exceptional phenomenon in twentieth century art. It bore the challenge of promoting realist figuration on a scale without parallel in the rest of the world, employing the talents of thousands of artists over decades and spreading over an immense and varied empire. By glorifying the social role of art, affirming the primary value of content as opposed to form and restoring the central role of traditional practices.