SOVIET EMIGRE ARTISTS IN NEW YORK: ETHNICITY AND IDENTITY

In the 1970s and early 1980s a wave of mostly Jewish immigrants from the Soviet Union arrived in the U.S. Among this wave were a large number of artists, most of whom settled in New York City. This dissertation investigates the question of whether a separate identity tied to their cultural origin emerged among these artists. An ethnic group model combining two theoretical approaches was used to examine both social organizational and cultural-symbolic aspects of the artists' lives and work. Information was collected largely through open-ended, semi-structured interviews with 25 emigres, including dealers and critics, as well as from published materials. A study of the means by which the artists exhibited and sold their works revealed the existence of immigrant "brokers," who organized galleries and museums for the exclusive showing of the artists' work, arranged exhibits, and generally sought to promote the artists. It was found that while the brokers exploited certain images in attempting to formulate a distinct cultural identity for them, the artists themselves desired above all to gain individual recognition and approached the problem of organizing exhibits on a more fragmented and limited basis. The artists could be loosely grouped into two categories: those who painted or sculpted in early twentieth century styles and those open to contemporary trends. The former emphasized the desire to express eternal, universal truths; their art exhibited an orientation toward the inner world of emotions, the inner essence of objects, and for some, a metaphysical element. The latter saw as their mission to jolt viewers from conventional beliefs and to comment on current problems; their art is full of irony and satire. For a number the myths and images of Socialist Realism and Soviet propaganda are drawn on for this commentary. The dual approach adopted was found to be fruitful in illuminating both strategies used by the artists to achieve practical ends as well as the orienting beliefs underlying their approach to art making and cultural elements distinguishing their art.