
Art and Revolution
Ernst Neizvestny and the Role of the Artist
John Berger(Author)
Verso Books (Publisher)
Published on 30. September 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
192 pages
978-1-80429-859-6 (ISBN)
Description
John Berger explores the life and work of Ernst Neizvestny, who, after clashing with Khrushchev, was excluded from the ranks of officially approved Soviet artists. Abandoned to obscurity, Neizvestny laboured to realize a monumental and very public vision of art. Exiled to the United States, he finally found recognition, returning to his homeland with the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Berger's account illuminates the very meaning of revolutionary art. In his struggle against official orthodoxy - which brought him into face-to-face conflict with Khrushchev himself - Neizvestny was fight-ing not for a merely personal or aesthetic vision, but for recognition of the social role of art. His sculptures earn a place in the world by reflecting the courage of a whole people, commemorating, in an age of mass suffering, the resistance and endurance of millions.
Berger's account illuminates the very meaning of revolutionary art. In his struggle against official orthodoxy - which brought him into face-to-face conflict with Khrushchev himself - Neizvestny was fight-ing not for a merely personal or aesthetic vision, but for recognition of the social role of art. His sculptures earn a place in the world by reflecting the courage of a whole people, commemorating, in an age of mass suffering, the resistance and endurance of millions.
Reviews / Votes
One of the most influential intellectuals of our time * The Observer * Any book by John Berger is an event . . . admirers will recognise the characteristic blend of sympathy and lucidity, directness of address, human warmth, and cosmopolitan example * Times Literary Supplement *More details
Series
Edition
Paperback original
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 196 mm
Width: 131 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
157 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80429-859-6 (9781804298596)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
09/2025
Verso Books
€19.49
Available for download
Person
Storyteller, novelist, essayist, screenwriter, dramatist and critic, John Berger (1926-2017) was one of the most internationally influential writers of the last fifty years. His many books include Ways of Seeing; the fiction trilogy Into Their Labours; Here Is Where We Meet; the Booker Prize-winning novel G; Hold Everything Dear; the Man Booker-longlisted From A to X; and A Seventh Man.