War relics on show

Soviet posters, bright and biting, were aimed at mocking Hitler and the Nazis during WW2, lifting the spirits of the troops in the nation’s fight against fascism. A large-scale selection of such posters, not seen in the United States since the Second World War, has been unveiled at the Art Institute of Chicago under the title, “Windows on the War.” The display features over 150 historical artifacts – war posters created by the USSR’s legendary news agency, TASS, which had enlisted an army of artists to boost the nation’s enthusiasm for the war. The posters were only re-discovered by chance – some 26 brown paper parcels were found deep in a storage area belonging to the Department of Prints and Drawings of the Art Institute of Chicago almost 15 years ago. Art historians were surprised to find that they contained the monumental 50-year-old posters created by the Soviet Union’s news agency and the idea to host a major exhibition was born. Eye-catching and large in size – some are up to three meters tall – the posters reflected the latest news from the front and were created daily. Studying the visionary side of each poster, the viewers have a chance to better understand the relations between the US and USSR before and during the war.