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Private Collection — Political Art & Propaganda

Ed Ryan's Collection

Brutalist Propaganda & Political Lithography, 1930–1975

A Denver-based collector with decades of acquisition across Eastern European and Soviet-era political art. Ed Ryan's holdings represent one of the most coherent private assemblages of 20th-century propaganda lithography in the American West — acquired through estate auctions, diplomatic contacts, and decades of discerning pursuit.

13Total Works
13Available
7Categories
Russian Eccentric
Soviet / Russian
Russian Eccentric
Striking Soviet-era character study rendered in high-contrast lithography. Bold geometric composition with characteristic brutalist typography. Exceptional condition for age.
Russian Tractor
Soviet / Russian
Russian Tractor
Iconic Socialist Realist agricultural propaganda. The tractor as symbol of industrial progress — powerful composition with a warm ochre palette. Museum-quality framing.
Russian Young Couple
Soviet / Russian
Russian Young Couple
Tender yet ideologically charged portrait of Soviet youth. The idealized future of the Communist promise rendered in warm tones. Rare domestic propaganda subject.
Russian World Children
Soviet / Russian
Russian World Children
International solidarity poster featuring children of multiple nations. Classic Cold War–era messaging in vibrant lithographic color. Strong graphic sensibility.
Wolfsonian
Special Provenance
Wolfsonian
Rare piece with documented Wolfsonian provenance. Exceptional graphic power — bold blacks, aggressive negative space. A centerpiece acquisition for any serious collection.
Russia to Victory — Prague
Soviet / Czech
Russia to Victory — Prague
Czech-Soviet solidarity lithograph from the post-war period. Bilingual text, striking color field composition. Extremely scarce cross-cultural propaganda.
Russian Prague
Soviet / Czech
Russian Prague
Soviet-Czech cultural exchange poster with architectural motifs. Clean modernist composition bridging Russian and Central European design traditions.
Russian Children (Framed)
Soviet / Russian
Russian Children (Framed)
Original period frame intact — a rarity. Warm, propagandistic portraiture of Soviet childhood. The original frame adds significant provenance and display value.
American Strong
American
American Strong
American counterpart propaganda — the mirror image of Soviet messaging. Bold patriotic composition, likely WW2-era. A fascinating juxtaposition piece for any Cold War collection.
Mao's Death
Chinese / Maoist
Mao's Death
Extraordinary commemorative piece from the 1976 mourning period. Rare western acquisition of official Chinese state-published memorial lithography. Historically significant.
Three Colors French
French / European
Three Colors French
French political lithography — tricolor motifs in bold geometric treatment. Post-war French left political art, uncommon outside European collections.
Mao 1968
Chinese / Maoist
Mao 1968
Cultural Revolution–era Maoist poster, 1968 dateline. Peak propaganda aesthetics — high-contrast, ideologically saturated imagery. One of the most sought categories by serious collectors.
Neville Chamberlain
British / European
Neville Chamberlain
Satirical British political lithograph depicting Chamberlain — likely anti-appeasement wartime commentary. Exceptionally rare subject matter. Condition: very good.