Towner Eastbourne Surveys British Antifascist Art from the 1930s and 40s
On display at Towner, Eastbourne, from 7 May to 18 October is the first Artists International Association (AIA) survey in four decades, established in 1933. Titled 'Comrades in Art: Artists Against Fascism', the exhibition showcases works from 11 prominent artists, alongside period ephemera. Among the highlighted pieces are Cliff Rowe's 1933 artwork 'The Struggle Between the Unemployed and the Police Forces' and Pearl Binder's lithographs from 1935. The exhibition also features pages from the sketchbook of Felicia Browne, who was tragically killed near Zaragoza while volunteering in Spain. Additionally, James Boswell's 1933 series 'The Fall of London' anticipates Orwell's themes, emphasizing the sacrifices made in the battle against fascism and prompting reflection on today's societal dynamics.
Key facts
- The exhibition 'Comrades in Art: Artists Against Fascism' is at Towner, Eastbourne, from 7 May to 18 October.
- It is the first survey in 40 years of the Artists International Association (AIA), founded in 1933.
- The show features 11 key players and includes art, documentation, and period ephemera.
- Cliff Rowe's 'The Struggle Between the Unemployed and the Police Forces' (1933) is a half-size reproduction of a canvas now held in Lviv.
- Rowe's 1935 Silver Jubilee poster depicted George V as a crowned skull with the legend '25 YEARS OF WAR HUNGER UNEMPLOYMENT'.
- Felicia Browne was killed near Zaragoza while volunteering in Spain.
- James Boswell's 1933 sequence 'The Fall of London' prefigured George Orwell's 'Coming Up for Air' (1939).
- Margaret Fitton's mid-1930s oil 'Rhubarb Pie' is included in the exhibition.
Entities
Artists
- Pearl Binder
- Margaret Fitton
- James Fitton
- Cliff Rowe
- Felicia Browne
- James Boswell
- George Orwell
- George Grosz
- Warren Beatty
- FHK Henrion
- George V
- Joseph Stalin
- Francisco Franco
- Misha Black
- Duncan Grant
- Henry Moore
- Paul Nash
- Laura Knight
- Edward McKnight Kauffer
- James Holland
- Helen Binyon
- Andy Friend
- Graham Sutherland
- Peter László Peri
- Ethel Gabain
- Betty Rea
- Eric Ravilious
- Clive Branson
Institutions
- Artists International Association
- Towner
- ArtReview
- University of Brighton Archives
- Henrion Estate
- FHK Henrion Archive
- Towner Eastbourne
- Arts Council
- NHS
- Lviv National Art Gallery
- Selfridges
- Artists International Association (AIA)
- Assoziation revolutionärer bildender Künstler
- State Publishing House
- RAF
- AEU
Locations
- Eastbourne
- United Kingdom
- London
- Moscow
- Russia
- Lviv
- Ukraine
- Spain
- Zaragoza
- Dulwich
- Trafalgar Square
- Soho Square
- Covent Garden
- Charlotte Street
- Oxford Street
- Britain
- Germany
- Berlin
- France
Sources
- ArtReview —
- Artlyst —
- FAD Magazine —