A Slap in the Face!

This is the first book to focus on the complex and fascinating relationship between Russian and Italian Futurism. A long overdue examination of the subject, it explores the energetic, creative and occasionally violent encounters of East and West in the arena of avant-garde art. After founding Futurism in Italy in 1909, F.T. Marinetti's ambition was to establish an international Futurist movement that would develop his own group's activities and interests. Futurist ideas were familiar to Russian artists through translations of manifestos and newspaper articles, yet Marinetti's visit to Russia in 1914 provoked mixed responses. While many Russian artists admired his revolutionary zeal others resented his apparent desire to establish an outpost of his movement. John Milner's text provides an extensive survey of the Russian Futurist movement in all its aspects as manifested in art, design, literature and music, and the book is copiously illustrated with paintings, prints, drawings and book illustrations drawn from international collections.