American Art, the Soviet Union, and the Canons of the Cold War

Who organized numerous exhibitions of American art in the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and why? Did the USA really seek to "undermine" the Soviet regime through American modernism, particularly abstract expressionism, while the Soviet Union "feared" non-figurative art? Most importantly, can we truly understand the role of art as a "weapon" of the Cold War? 

Kirill Chunikhin's book offers a fresh perspective on these questions, critiquing traditional ideologized interpretations of the cultural policies of the USSR and American art of that time. Instead of the usual approach where historical events are mechanically projected onto art, the author presents a more nuanced analysis that considers not only politics but also personal motivations, emotional regimes, and transnational cultural contexts. By viewing American art as a global phenomenon, the author illustrates the interconnections and interdependence of artistic processes in the USSR and the USA in the 1940s-1960s. The book thus revises the established narrative of cultural isolation between the two superpowers and demonstrates how art became a space for dialogue—despite ideological barriers.