LA LIBERTE GUIDANT LE PEUPLE, 1985/2017

Please note: The piece is, and will be supplied, unframed 

The motif of Liberty Leads the People is a direct reference to the famous painting by Eugène Delacroix with the same title from 1830, allegorically depicting the people's revolution. The background of the poster is taken from architectural sketches for urban objects entitled Cloud Iron by El Lissitzky, the Russian constructivist (and regime) artist of the revolution, who is thought to embody the revolutionary, communist spirit of the Soviet Union. In the foreground is the character of a drummer (taken from a Nazi Hitler Youth poster). Laibach replaced his face with the figure of the Statue of Liberty, the work of the French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, donated to Americans by the French.

As a curiosity, we should mention that the same drummer motif was used by English post-punk band Joy Division (after the death of the singer Ian Curtis, the band was renamed New Order). The motif was drawn by band member Bernard Sumner and used on the cover of their first EP, An Ideal for Living. 

Terms and details:

Upon prior request, it is possible to view artwork live at a Laibach WTC location in Ljubljana, Slovenia. If you are interested in doing so, please write to wtc.support@laibach.org. 

The listed price includes 9,5% value-added tax (VAT). If you are located outside the EU, or are a legal entity that is part of EU reverse charge system, you may take this into account when submitting your offer.

For all other issues, the Terms of service of the Laibach WTC online store apply.