This exhibition examines the themes of industrial work in Soviet painting of the 1950s-80s. Profound and lasting transformations in society took place after Stalin’s death in 1953.  The decades following WWII saw a gradual relaxation of the tight ideological restrictions previously imposed by the Communist Party on the minds of Soviet citizens.  The recognizably Stalinist painting aesthetic—highly idealized and formulaic—gave way to a more diverse thematic environment.

This display of human-form sculptures in The Museum of Russian Art’s Fireside Gallery features twelve works by Naum Mogilevsky.  The sculptures were recently added to the Museum’s growing permanent collection through a generous gift from the artist’s nephew, Boris Mogilevsky and are on view for the very first time publicly.