This exhibition presented Soviet art of Socialist Realism from a historical perspective. The installation focused exclusively on painting, complemented by period music and a documentary film about Stalin.
The exhibition 'Propaganda for Happiness' offered a historical examination of Soviet Socialist Realism art. Developed in collaboration with other curators, the version displayed at Galerie Rudolfinum focused specifically on painting, presenting works from a historical point of view. The exhibition was further enriched by the inclusion of reproduced music from the era and a four-part documentary film about Stalin, curated by Hartmut Kaminski. This presentation was a specific iteration of an exhibition previously shown in Kassel and Petersburg, highlighting the artistic output and its contextual framing.
The exhibition showcased a broad range of artists associated with the Socialist Realism movement, including V. M. Belakovskaja, I. I. Brodskij, A. P. Bubnov, A. A. Dejneka, A. M. Gerasimov, and K. S. Malevič, among many others listed. The exhibition architect and designer was Emil Zavadil. Galerie Rudolfinum collaborated with the State Russian Museum in Petersburg on this presentation, with curatorial input from Hubertus Gaßner, Joseph Kiblitsky, Jevgenija Petrova, and Petr Nedoma.