From the Great Depression to World War II, the lives and work of British artists intersected with a world in crisis. A compelling group biography, Comrades in Art explores the political forces that shaped the development of modern art in Britain, tracing how artists set aside aesthetic differences to mobilize on an unprecedented scale to resist fascism and campaign for cultural freedom and democracy.
Featuring some of the best-known names in British, European, and American art, such as Barbara Hepworth, Paul Nash, David Bomberg, Pablo Picasso, Oskar Kokoschka, Henry Moore, Stuart Davis, and Diego Rivera, Comrades in Art explores the lives of its diverse and talented protagonists. Taking the first ten years of the Artists International Association (AIA) as his point of focus, author Andy Friend brings to life the captivating drama of the organization as it rapidly grew to attract the support of a majority of Britain’s aspiring and established artists, offering new insights into art and culture during this decade of political extremes. By situating the AIA within a global context, and uncovering connections with Moscow, New York, Paris, Barcelona, and elsewhere, including the New Deal Federal Art Project, this impressive work of research and scholarship is a revealing read for anyone seeking to understand the dynamic interplay of politics and art during one of the most turbulent periods in modern history.
