Lessons of Last Time 1947

This collage, Lessons of Last Time – 3, was made by Eduardo Paolozzi using paper and printed matter. Paolozzi was fascinated by the imagery of technology and mass media and how these things shaped society’s collective memory. Here, he brings together images of Albert Einstein with advertisements and technical diagrams, alluding to the rapid technological advancements of the mid-20th century. Paolozzi was part of the Independent Group, a British art movement that challenged traditional art world values by incorporating popular culture. The Independent Group asked questions about the role of art in a world increasingly dominated by mass media. Is art capable of critiquing consumer culture or is it just another form of advertising? Historians of art and culture can use sources from the period like magazines, advertisements, and even technical manuals to better understand Paolozzi's engagement with these debates. In doing so, we gain a clearer insight into art as something inseparable from its social and institutional context.