People's Artist of the USSR

People's Artist of the USSR
Breast badge of the People's Artist of the USSR (performing arts)
Breast badge of the People's Artist of the USSR (visual arts)

People's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to artists of the Soviet Union. The term is confusingly used to translate two Russian language titles: Народный артист СССР (Narodny artist SSSR), awarded in performing arts and Народный художник СССР (Narodny khudozhnik SSSR), granted in some visual arts.

As those titles were granted by the government, honorees were afforded certain privileges and would often receive commissions from the Minister of Culture of the Soviet Union. Accordingly, artists and authors who expressed criticism of the Communist Party were seldom granted such recognition, if not outright censored. Each Soviet Republic, as well as the Autonomous Republics (ASSRs), had a similar award that would be held previously by virtually every receiver of the higher title of People's Artist of the USSR.^{[citation needed]}