TheAssociation of Revolutionary Visual Artists of Germany (German:Assoziation revolutionärer bildender Künstler Deutschlands, or ARBKD) was an organization of artists who were members of theCommunist Party of Germany (Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands, or KPD). Known primarily by its shortened name, "Asso", it was founded in March 1928. The organization produced posters, placards, andpropaganda graphics for Communist organizations.
TheRote Fahne reported on 19 June 1928 that the Asso had been founded as a "brother organization" to the Association of Revolutionary Artists of Russia.[1] In spring 1931, the name was changed from "Assoziation" to "Bund" ("Federation").[1]
Left-wing artists had already formed groups, such as theNovember Group,Dadaist groups, or from 1924 to 1926, the Red Group, with whichGeorge Grosz,John Heartfield andRudolf Schlichter were involved.Heinrich Vogeler had also formed theArbeitsgemeinschaft kommunistischer Künstler ("Working Group of Communist Artists"). Further impetus to form a larger organization came from the "CentralAtelier for Visual Propaganda", an arm of the KPD offices at theKarl-Liebknecht-Haus in Berlin.
Several groups joined the Asso. TheBrotherhood of Vagabonds [de], where artistGregor Gog was active, joined the Asso in 1931. In 1932, the group "The Moderns" ("Die Zeitgemäßen"), headed byOskar Nerlinger and previously called "The Abstracts", joined as well.[1] The Asso also embracedFranz Wilhelm Seiwert's group of progressive artists, theCologne Progressives, and the "Collective for Socialist Building".
The Asso published a journal calledDer Stoßtrupp and its first exhibition was in Berlin in 1929. For many Communist artists, art was a "weapon" to be used rallying the masses to theclass struggle. Accordingly, the Asso produced placards, posters, propaganda art and banners for the Communist Party,Rote Hilfe and other organizations.[1]
The 1932 logo ofAntifaschistische Aktion was designed byMax Gebhard [de] andMax Keilson [de] for the Asso[2] and since the 1980s has been widely used in modified form in Germany and globally byAntifa groups.[3]
The organization, with 800 members, was banned after the Nazisseized power in 1933.[1]
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