The Origins and Genesis of Soviet Art Production Factories in the Baltic Countries

Abstract

During the Soviet era, government and political authorities supervised and directed all artistic activities. The regime actively used what is often described as soft power to establish influence in the territories it occupied. To achieve this, it turned to the fine and applied arts by creating a state-controlled institution known as the art production factory. These enterprises combined professional and folk art, large-scale projects, and mass production. Art factories were able to produce the entire visual identity of an institution or event—from monumental works to small-scale graphic design. This article examines the origins and genesis of art production factories in the Baltic countries that operated during the Soviet era. To date, the art production factories of all three Baltic states have not been studied collectively. Thus, the aim of the paper is to reveal the general strategies the regime applied in establishing art production factories in the occupied territories.