Kent and Art in the Soviet Union – The Rockwell Kent Forum

The USSR was incredibly important to Kent. He travelled there many times during the 1950’s and 1960’s and made long and fast friendships with many ordinary Russians, as well as artists and film makers. On this page, we will bring you a variety of articles and other material relating to the Soviet Union and Kent’s travels there.

Introduction to Pacifica Radio Interview: “Art in the Soviet Union”

by Will Ross

Rockwell Kent was feeling pretty good when he was interviewed on Pacifica Radio in October 1958. His personal situation was vastly different than when he was interviewed by John Wingate in 1957 on Nightbeat. A transcript of that interview is also available on The Rockwell Kent Forum, on the Special Collections page. In 1957 Kent was in the middle of his battle with the State Department over his inability to obtain a passport. That fact had prevented him from attending the opening of his one-man show at the Pushkin Museum in Moscow. The show was an overwhelming success, as shown in this contemporary Soviet newsreel footage (Note: the narration is in Russian)

In June 1958 the Supreme Court decided that the State Department did not have the authority to deny a citizen a passport based on political views. Shortly afterward Kent was on a ship headed to Europe and, eventually, Russia. He stayed there six weeks, and was treated like a rock star.

Upon Kent’s return he immediately embarked on a nationwide publicity tour giving speeches celebrating the 25th anniversary of the United States diplomatic recognition of the Soviet Union in 1933. Eventually the tour brought him to San Francisco where he was interviewed at the studios of Pacifica Radio in San Francisco. The interview, though ostensibly about art in the Soviet Union, covers many areas of the art world both in the Soviet Union and the United States. While politics is discussed, it is not the centerpiece of the interview. The host of the interview was Elsa Knight Thompson, documentarian and long-time program director of Pacifica Radio. The other guests were three well-known Bay area artists: Emmy Lou Packard, Victor Arnautoff, and Glenn Wessels. The interview lasts about an hour and the recording is in excellent condition. It is a fascinating historical document, well worth a listen. If you don’t see the video below, it is available on YouTube© – https://youtu.be/SglytJxHe6g

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“The Journey to the USSR gave start to the Most Important Period of my Life”

Extracts from “Meeting the Past. Artistic Life in Documents from the Central State Archive of Literature and Arts of the USSR”, vol.6, Moscow, Soviet Russia Publishers, 1988, p.332-357. Translated and annotated by Dmitry (Mitya) Kiselev.

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“In Fear and Reverence I painted” Rockwell Kent and his Soviet career

Journalist Vladimir Abarinov and Boston-based art critic Rada Landar talk in the Radio Liberty studio, broadcast on 24 April 2022. (Transcribed and annotated by Dmitry Kiselev)

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“We Appreciate Your Care of Us”

Kent’s letters to the Soviet journalist Nikita Bolotnikov (1961-1970) – translated and annotated by Dmitry Kiselev

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An Offering from an American Artist

Editor’s note: Some time ago, I found an article from a Russian Magazine (magazine name and date unknown). I sent a copy of the article to our resident Russian expert, Dmitry Kiselev and asked him to translate. He not only sent back a perfect translation but also located two photographs of Kent and Sally at the Russian exhibition. We present a copy of the article followed by Mitya’s translation and the photos.

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“Land of Wonders”: American Artist Rockwell Kent and his Journey to Armenia

First published in www.armmuseum.ru, 17 Dec 2020. Translated and annotated by Dmitry Kiselev

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“My Old Good Friend”: Rockwell Kent and Andrey Chegodaev

In one of his letters to the Soviet journalist Nikita Bolotnikov, written in February 1970, Rockwell Kent named Andrey Chegodaev an “old good friend” and “stepfather” of the Russian edition of Kent’s autobiography. Our Russian Correspondent, Dmitry Kiselev has written an article about the friendship between Kent and Chegodaev.