As with any momentous historical event, often the best and most compelling way to understand what happened is by discovering the cultural artefacts left in its wake. As we enter the centenary year of the Russian Revolution, a number of the world's most prestigious institutions are exploring how this key turning point permeated not just the politics of the country, but society as a whole.
New York's MoMa offers a similar examination of the period documenting how new modes of Abstractionism emerged, from the Constructivists, who believed art should reflect the modern industrial world, to the Suprematism movement spearheaded by Malevich and defined by its bold, geometric forms. A Revolutionary Impulse: The Rise of the Russian Avant-Garde, until 12 March, highlights 260 works spanning paintings, photography, film, graphic design and more.
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In the latter half of the year, the Tate Modern will tackle the subject in Red Star Over Russia, expanding the historical remit to cover five decades of Russian creativity, from the revolution of 1905 to the death of Stalin in 1953. It's a chance to see rarely displayed posters and graphic works from the David King Collection, including pieces from El Lissitzky, Dmitri Moor, Gustav Klutsis, Alexander Deineka, Yevgeny Khaldei and Nina Vatolina.
The British Library, meanwhile, will provide an authoritative historical background to events with its showcase Russian Revolution: Hope, Tragedy, Myths, which runs from 28 April to 29 August. As well as compiling key items that reveal the extraordinary lives ordinary Russians lived during the period, it will also display landmark documents offering a glimpse into the upper echelons of society. These include a never-before-seen letter written by Lenin in 1902, when he applied to become a reader at the British Museum Library, and signed with his pseudonym Jacob Richter, which he used to evade the Tsarist police of the time.
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