Documentary 'Arte e propaganda' to air on Rai5 exploring art and power

The documentary 'Arte e propaganda', written, directed, and produced by Eleonora Zamparutti and Piero Muscarà, will premiere on Rai5 on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, as part of the program Art Night. The film investigates the relationship between art and power, starting from the premise that 'all art is propaganda,' a statement attributed to George Orwell. It traces the use of art for propaganda from ancient times, beginning with Emperor Augustus, through the great totalitarian regimes of the 20th century, including Mussolini's 'operazione Leonardo' and Nazi propaganda illustrated by the exhibition 'Art Dégénéré: le Procès de l’Art Moderne sous le Nazisme' at the Musée Picasso in Paris until May 25, 2025. The documentary also covers counter-propaganda, such as Peggy Guggenheim's promotion of European avant-garde and young American artists starting with the 1948 Venice Biennale, the first after World War II. It concludes with an analysis of Soviet art and iconic imagery of Che Guevara in Fidel Castro's Cuba. The filmmakers note that today, artists like Banksy and street artists operate without patrons, occupying public spaces to deliver their messages. They emphasize that propaganda art requires an audience: without viewers who engage with the messages, the works lose their power. The documentary features historians, experts, and researchers.