Book review: Central Asia in art: from Soviet Orientalism to the new republics by Aliya Abykayeva-Tiesenhausen

In Central Asia in Art: From Soviet Orientalism to the New Republics, Kazakh art historian Aliya Abykayeva-Tiesenhausen traces Soviet portrayals of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan in twentieth-century art. While more attention on the 1990s and 2000s would have been fascinating, this beautifully-illustrated book brings together accessible art analysis and detailed historical context to give readers a comprehensive, empathetic and encyclopaedic understanding of the featured artworks, finds Michael Warren.