The Space of Freedom

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The Space of Freedom: Apartment Exhibitions in Leningrad (1964-1986)

Organized by the University of Richmond Art Museums

October 24 - December 9, 2008

The Space of Freedom: Apartment Exhibitions in Leningrad (1964-1986) will present approximately 60 paintings, drawings, and prints from the collection of the Museum of NonConformist Art in St. Petersburg, Russia. The artwork in the exhibition will be displayed in a fabricated Soviet circa 1970 apartment interior that will be assembled in the Samek galleries.

From the 1950s through the early 1980s, the Communist Party attempted to eliminate all NonConformist art. Some artists creating in a style not permitted by the government would organize very short-term exhibitions lasting a day or even a few hours. Installed in their apartments, the exhibitions featured many, sometimes more than 100 artworks in one room. And up to a thousand people would attend these exhibitions. Many artists suffered the extreme consequences of death or imprisonment.