Comrades In Art: Artists Against Fascism

There is much that has been lost and much that we can learn from the Artists International Association, finds Leah Levane in her review of ‘Comrades in Art: Artists Against Fascism’There is a brilliant and well curated exhibition at the Towner Gallery in Eastbourne; Comrades in Art: Artists Against Fascism . The exhibition is about the work of the Artists International Association (AIA) of which, to my chagrin, I had never heard. An early exhibition was Artists Against Fascism in London, supported by established artists such as Augustus John, Paul Nash and Henry Moore. The work also shows other artists involved in the Artists International Association including Clara Zetkin who was critical of Stalin’s view of art’s subservience to power. Local authorities built up collections of art to loan to schools as a resource for teaching art to children.