Culver City,
California
x
Collectivization 1929
Date Made: 1988-1991
Country: Soviet Union
Measurements: 90 cm x 60 cm; 35 7/16 in x 23 5/8 in
The burlap texture of this work, with the word “Collectivization” in Russian along the left edge and “1929,” printed in the top right corner of the painting, references Stalin’s forced collectivization of private farms. In 1929, land, livestock, equipment and other farm assets became state property, fully controlled by the government. The artwork also includes a black sickle smudged with red paint, alluding to the bloodshed caused by this forced collectivization policy. Those who resisted collectivization were forcibly resettled into exile settlements, sent to labor camps or even faced death sentences. The sickle’s left side is cut to form the profile of Stalin in the negative space on the burlap texture of the poster. Collectivization did not live up to its expectations: when production fell, the result was a famine that spanned from 1932 to 1933 and resulted in the deaths of nearly 6 million people. Despite Stalin’s ambitious plan to raise agricultural production to create a more prosperous life for Soviet citizens, collectivization ended up hurting the very people whose lives it was supposed to improve.
Accession Number: 2009.053.012
Item Name: Painting
Credit Line: The Ferris Russian Collection, Donated by Tom and Jeri Ferris
Collection/Series: The Ferris Russian Collection, Donated by Tom and Jeri Ferris