The Total Art of Stalinism: Avant-Garde, Aesthetic Dictatorship, and Beyond
From the ruins of communism, Boris Groys emerges to provoke our interest in the aesthetic goals pursued with such catastrophic consequences by its founders. Interpreting totalitarian art and literature in the context of cultural history, this brilliant essay likens totalitarian aims to the modernists' goal of producing world-transformative art. In this new edition, Groys revisits the debate that the book has stimulated since its first publication.
Paperback, 144 pages
ISBN: 9781844677078
August 2011
$19.95 / £9.99 / $25.00CAN
Reviews
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This is not just a book, but an event ... The Total Art of Stalinism is an intellectual landmark.
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Art and the celebration of power all too often coincide, and the controversial message here is that artists, for all their insights into the human condition, can make a hash of society as completely as the most cynical of politicians.
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One of the most astute commentators on the art scene today.
Discussions
Begin a discussionOther books by Boris Groys
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Introduction to Antiphilosophy
by Boris Groys
Provocative exploration of the masters of suspicion with regard to philosophy.
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The Communist Postscript
by Boris Groys
A provocative essay on the relationship between communism, philosophy and language.