Kazimir Malevich’s ‘Peasants’, from 1930. A collection of 30 of Malevich’s paintings can be seen together for the first time since a 1932 exhibition in Russia. Courtesy State Russian Museum, St Petersburg
Kazimir Malevich’s ‘Peasants’, from 1930. A collection of 30 of Malevich’s paintings can be seen together for the first time since a 1932 exhibition in Russia. Courtesy State Russian Museum, St Petersburg
Arkadii Shaiket, ‘Construction of the Moscow Telegraphic Centre’, from 1928. Courtesy Nailya Alexander Gallery, New York
Arkadii Shaiket, ‘Construction of the Moscow Telegraphic Centre’, from 1928. Courtesy Nailya Alexander Gallery, New York
Isaak Brodsky, V.I.Lenin and Manifestation from 1919. Courtesy of the State Museum and Exhibition Center ROSIZO
Isaak Brodsky, V.I.Lenin and Manifestation from 1919. Courtesy of the State Museum and Exhibition Center ROSIZO
Marc Chagall’s Promenade, 1917-18. Courtesy State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
Marc Chagall’s Promenade, 1917-18. Courtesy State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
Alexander Deineka’s Textile Workers from 1927. Courtesy State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
Alexander Deineka’s Textile Workers from 1927. Courtesy State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg

Revolution: Russian Art 1917 to 1932 review: an era of abstraction and propaganda

John Dennehy
John Dennehy

February 14, 2017

  • English
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This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution and one of the blockbuster shows to mark this has just opened in London. Revolution: Russian Art 1917 to 1932 explores a moment after the revolution of October 1917 when abstract art flourished until 1932, and when Soviet dictator Josef Stalin began his onslaught against the Avant Garde.

More than 200 pieces are on display, including photography, sculpture, film, posters. The exhibition is arranged in sections. “Salute the Leader” for example, examines Lenin’s rise to power; “Man and Machine” looks at the heroic portrayal of the workers; while “Stalin’s Utopia” charts the strongman’s grandiose public projects and the dark reality associated with them.

The pieces can largely be construed as propaganda. But it was a period when artists did employ creative means in their attempts to build a proletarian art.

The paintings include Boris Mikailovich Kustodiev's Bolshevik (1920), which shows a larger than life revolutionary charging through the streets, while particularly impressive is a collection of 30 works by Kazimir Malevich. Malevich is famous for his Black Square paintings – one of which is on display at the exhibition. He was born in what is now Ukraine and he was one of the founders of the Suprematism movement, which focused on geometric patterns such as lines, circles and squares. These paintings are seen together for the first time since a 1932 exhibition in Leningrad and particularly striking is his 1930 work, Peasants. Here we see two effectively anonymous workers with their faces obscured – quite the contrast from a typical portrait of happy workers in the fields.

• Revolution: Russian Art 1917 to 1932 runs at the Royal Academy of Arts in London until April 17. For more information visit www.royalacademy.org.uk

John Dennehy is deputy editor of The Review.

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

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“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

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Florida: The critical Sunshine State

Though mostly conservative, Florida is usually always “close” in presidential elections. In most elections, the candidate that wins the Sunshine State almost always wins the election, as evidenced in 2016 when Trump took Florida, a state which has not had a democratic governor since 1991. 

Joe Biden’s campaign has spent $100 million there to turn things around, understandable given the state’s crucial 29 electoral votes.

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While you're here

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

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Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

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