Anarchy And Art: From the Paris Commune to the Fall of the Berlin Wall

One of the powers of art is its ability to convey the human aspects of political events, ranging from war to revolution to sexual liberation. Art also has the power to transform society, a theme that pervades this fascinating survey on art, artists, and anarchism since the nineteenth century. In numerous essays, Allan Antliff interrogates moments of engagement when anarchist artists, poets, philosophers, and critics have confronted pivotal events over the past 135 years. The survey begins with Gustave Courbet's activism during the 1871 Paris Commune (which established the modern-day French republic), and ends with an examination of anarchist art during the fall of the Soviet empire. Other subjects include the Dada movement, the Russian avant-garde of the 1930s, 1960s activism, and the West Coast Beats. Throughout, Antliff vividly explores art's potential as a vehicle for social change, and how it can shape the very nature of political events, both historic and present-day. Well-informed and approachable, Anarchy and Art is a book for political junkies and art aficionados alike.