Andy Friend's book "Comrades in Art" chronicles the founding and first decade of the Artists International Association (AIA), a radical union of artists established in London in the 1930s. The AIA, born from a belief in art's power to revolutionize society, grew from a small group of mostly underemployed communist-affiliated commercial artists into a popular front against fascism and war, eventually including over 1,000 members such as Henry Moore and Paul Nash. The book focuses on lesser-known figures like Felicia Browne, the first British female combatant killed in the Spanish Civil War.
This matters because it recovers a crucial but often overlooked chapter of 20th-century art history, demonstrating how artists organized collectively to confront political extremism and economic hardship. The AIA's story offers a powerful historical precedent for artists engaging with social and political issues, showing that art can serve as an auxiliary to progressive causes without sacrificing stylistic diversity. Friend's scholarly yet vivid account highlights the international solidarity and social responsibility that animated the British art world during a period of crisis.