Engineer, Agitator, Constructor: The Artist Reinvented

While some museums are closed again due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Apollo’s usual weekly pick of exhibitions will include shows at institutions that remain open as well as digital projects providing virtual access to art and culture.

This display focuses on the years 1918–39, arguing that the huge societal upheavals of the period necessitated a new approach to art-making in Europe. It features the work of figures such as Aleksandr Rodchenko, Hannah Hoch and John Heartfield rose to the challenge, who each sought to redefine the role of the artist – whether for political or cultural ends – by turning away from the traditional forms of painting and sculpture toward new mediums such as photomontage, and establishing new kinds of infrastructure for disseminating their work. The display is drawn from the Merrill C. Berman Collection of political art, which was recently acquired by MoMA; it runs from 13 December–10 April 2021. Find out more from MoMA’s website.

Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary here

Untitled (Dada) (c. 1922), Hannah Hoch. Museum of Modern Art, New York

The Hand Has Five Fingers (1928), John Heartfield. Museum of Modern Art, New York

Untitled (red square) (c. 1928), Max Burchartz. Museum of Modern Art, New York

Maquette for We Are Building (1929), Valentina Kulagina. Museum of Modern Art, New York