18/05/2026
Helen Binyon, The Flower Show, for the AIA Everyman Prints, 1939. The Artists International Association was established in 1933 to unify artists against fascism and war, rallying comrades across Europe during the Spanish Civil War and efforts to overcome the rise of fascist General Francisco Franco.
In 1939 lithography would become central to the AIA Everyman Prints series intended to bring original art at affordable prices to a mass market. They wanted to do for artists what the Penguin paperback was doing for writers and were inspired by an initiative of the American Artists Congress.
The ambitions evident when Everyman was launched were not fulfilled—initially strong marketing through Boots and Marks & Spencer faltered, paper rationing cut supplies, and the churn of war meant previous volunteer printers were unavailable.
The AIA’s major 1940 exhibition was delayed by a week after two incendiary bombs fell through the gallery roof but once opened was a notable success.
Now on show at Towner in Comrades in Art: Artists Against Fascism, the most comprehensive exhibition on the anti-fascist Artists International Association ever staged.
7 May to 18 October 2026
Galleries 2 & 3 (Second Floor)
Tickets £5.50 to £11. Free for Towner Members and Under 25's
Find out more and book tickets on our website (link in bio)
1. Helen Binyon, The Flower Show, for the AIA Everyman Prints, 1939. Private Collection. © Helen Binyon Estate.
2. Comrades in Art: Artists Against Fascism, 2026, Installation View, Towner Eastbourne. Photo by Rob Harris
