The Most Recognised Latvian [?] Artist in the World. The Case of Gustavs Klucis
The Most Recognised Latvian [?] Artist in the World. The Case of Gustavs Klucis

Summary/Abstract: The political history of the twentieth century created several distorted gaps in the art history of the Baltic countries and in the collective memories of our nations. We are used to thinking in such categories as ‘before’ and ‘after’, i.e. in relation to the fifty-yearlong Soviet occupation, and ‘here’ and ‘there’, i.e. art development in local art centres and in the rest of Europe. One of the topics in recent European modernism studies has been the reintegration of Eastern European national art schools into overall twentieth century European art history. However, the inclusion of individual artists in a ‘national art’ context may bring up specific questions. The case of the Latvian-born artist Gustavs Klucis (1895–1938), whose worldwide recognition has been achieved in the framework of Russian avant-garde art, is among the most complex to be discussed within the context of Latvian art history, since his national and professional identities are hardly parallel.

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