За нашу дружбу! Allan Gamborg and his updated Soviet Digital Art website.

Regular readers will recall that over the years, I've repeatedly doffed my уша́нка (ushanka -- it's the furry cap) in the general direction of Allan Gamborg.

It's hard to believe 33 years have passed since I first met Allan, Kim Andersen and Kim Wiesener during the rambunctious summer of '87. These three Danes of the apocalypse have been artfully weaving in and out of my travel narratives ever since, as during this famous escapade (in Allan's own words):

For example, I still think of the evening in that Belgian beer place (2000?), where all got complete rat-assed and the party just dissolved in utter chaos.

Ah, those were the daze.

Allan has lived in Moscow for more than two decades, and somewhere around his third or fourth career in the workaday world he assumed yet another identity: purveyor and advocate of Soviet-era art and artists.

You need not have an opinion about Vladimir Putin, or be a dirty rotten Commie, to enjoy Allan's web site. You merely must appreciate art.

Today an update arrived.

Dear Friends,

I hope you are all well and safe in these turbulent times.

I have been spending a significant part of the time in self isolation updating my art database with photos, descriptions and artists’ biographies.

All this material you can find online - art works and descriptions - for about 900 (mainly Soviet) artists.

If you have a free minute (or some vacant days), and wish to relax with some art – please visit.

Artist Portfolios

Best wishes,

Allan

Here's the full story.

This website is dedicated to Soviet Art and Socialist Realism in the 20th century. We feature a large number of Soviet and socialist fine arts and posters as well as applied arts and design of that period.

The artists featured were active in the Soviet Union from the 1920s through the 1970s, and their works cover Russian avant-garde, socialist realism as well as the non-official underground art of the 1960s and 1970s.

The collection contains Soviet fine arts, mural designs, graphics, prints and USSR posters, and a unique assortment of applied arts, textile and fashion designs, and tapestries of the 1950s and 1960s. We also show a number of theater designs, including costumes, set designs and curtains. Another specialty of the gallery is children's book illustrations of the 1950s and 1960s.

Thematically, we often focus on Soviet art works and posters telling stories about people and their city or village, work, industry, culture, politics, and works of art illustrating the era and its history as a whole. Specific topics include Soviet agriculture, sports, theater and ballet.

The artists featured were taught by the most famous artists of the late 19th and the early 20th century, and studyed at the most prestigious art schools of the Soviet Union at the time: The VKhuTeMas, the Polygraphical Institute, the Surikov Institute, the Repin Institute, the MIPIDI, and the Moscow Textile Institute.

Most artists featured led a “double” artistic life. On the one hand, they were all members of the state controlled Artists’ Union, being on the state budget of the Soviet Ministry of Culture, producing Soviet art works in support of Soviet ideology, socialist realism, propaganda posters, etc. On the other hand, they took every opportunity to paint for themselves, i.e. painting themes and in styles they personally preferred. Working on genres such as landscape, cityscape and still-life was a manifestation of artists' independence from official ideology.

Many of these works of art were lost to the dust of artists' studios. Here we aim at showing both aspects of the artists’ works.

Digital Soviet Art presents "DDR posters of the 1960s-1970s."

Erhard Grüttner sampling.

It's been a while -- about a year, to be exact.

За нашу дружбу! All the best to Allan Gamborg and his revamped Soviet Digital Art website.

Allan's latest exhibit is an obvious sweet spot for me.

---

Dear Friends

I am pleased to invite you to a unique exhibition I have organized at the Goethe Institute in Moscow, of DDR posters of the 1960s-1970s, by two famous East German designers and graphics artists of the period – Erhard Grüttner and Rolf Felix Müller. There are around 30 posters on show, for example to plays by Bertold Brecht and Kurt Weill, Maksim Gorky, amongst others from the Dresden Staatsoper and the Dresden Staatsschauspiel.

The posters were salvaged from the deep archives of Moscow artist Ruben Suryaninov (born 1930). Ruben Suryaninov is a fabulous poster artist, and during the 1960s and 1970s he made friends with the two artists, and in the process created a collection of their posters.

See virtual shows of the two artists here, (and of artist Ruben Suryaninov)

Erhard Grüttner

Rolf Felix Müller

Ruben Suryaninov

Address of the Goethe Institute: Leninsky Prospekt 95, Moscow

Opening hours Monday-Friday 9.00-20.00, Saturday 9.00-17.00 – until July 13

Best wishes,

Allan

Digital Soviet Art

За нашу дружбу! All the best to Allan Gamborg and his revamped Soviet Digital Art website.

Regular readers will recall that over the years, I've repeatedly doffed my уша́нка (ushanka -- it's the furry cap) in the general direction of Allan Gamborg.

It's hard to believe 31 years have passed since I first met Allan, Kim Andersen and Kim Wiesener during the rambunctious summer of '87. These three Danes of the apocalypse have been artfully weaving in and out of my travel narratives ever since, as during this famous escapade (in Allan's own words):

For example, I still think of the evening in that Belgian beer place (2000?), where all got complete rat-assed and the party just dissolved in utter chaos.

Ah, those were the daze.

Allan has lived in Moscow for 20 years or so, and somewhere around his third or fourth career in the workaday world, he assumed yet another identity: Purveyor and advocate of Soviet-era art and artists. You need not have an opinion about Vladimir Putin, or be a dirty rotten Commie, to enjoy Allan's web site. You merely must appreciate art.

Dear Friends,

I am happy to announce a brand new version of our website with Soviet Fine Art and graphics and posters - www.digitalsovietart.com

We have an improved design, new functions, better usability, and also full mobile support for all your devices.

The site is also true bilingual now – both in English and Russian (теперь и на русском языке)

Please enjoy – and do let me know if you have any comments -))

Very best wishes,

Allan

Here's the full story.

This website is dedicated to Soviet Art and Socialist Realism in the 20th century. We feature a large number of Soviet and socialist fine arts and posters as well as applied arts and design of that period.

The artists featured were active in the Soviet Union from the 1920s through the 1970s, and their works cover Russian avant-garde, socialist realism as well as the non-official underground art of the 1960s and 1970s.

The collection contains Soviet fine arts, mural designs, graphics, prints and USSR posters, and a unique assortment of applied arts, textile and fashion designs, and tapestries of the 1950s and 1960s. We also show a number of theater designs, including costumes, set designs and curtains. Another specialty of the gallery is children's book illustrations of the 1950s and 1960s.

Thematically, we often focus on Soviet art works and posters telling stories about people and their city or village, work, industry, culture, politics, and works of art illustrating the era and its history as a whole. Specific topics include Soviet agriculture, sports, theater and ballet.

The artists featured were taught by the most famous artists of the late 19th and the early 20th century, and studyed at the most prestigious art schools of the Soviet Union at the time: The VKhuTeMas, the Polygraphical Institute, the Surikov Institute, the Repin Institute, the MIPIDI, and the Moscow Textile Institute.

Most artists featured led a “double” artistic life. On the one hand, they were all members of the state controlled Artists’ Union, being on the state budget of the Soviet Ministry of Culture, producing Soviet art works in support of Soviet ideology, socialist realism, propaganda posters, etc. On the other hand, they took every opportunity to paint for themselves, i.e. painting themes and in styles they personally preferred. Working on genres such as landscape, cityscape and still-life was a manifestation of artists' independence from official ideology.

Many of these works of art were lost to the dust of artists' studios. Here we aim at showing both aspects of the artists’ works.

New catalogs at the Masters of Soviet Art website.

From time to time, I reintroduce my friend Allan Gamborg. He's Danish by birth, a longtime resident of Moscow, and truly a citizen of the planet.

Allan has enjoyed much success in his "second" (third? fifth?) career as a purveyor and advocate of Soviet-era art and artists. You can use the handy Blogger search here at NAC, use "Gamborg" as the search term, and see previous postings. These days, the website is called Masters of Soviet Art, and it's always worth a few minutes to peruse the art. You need not be a Commie to enjoy the links to Allan's on-line galleries.

As in the past, permit me to thank Allan for his boundless hospitality and for allowing me to share his latest links.

---

Dear Friends,

In February we will issue a new catalogue (number 6) in the series “Master of Soviet Art” – with the artists Vera and Tatyana Livanova: Socialist posters, circus posters and costumes, theatre stage designs and costumes, film set designs, Siberian landscapes and power plants.

As a pre-view teaser, we can show – on our website -  the images of the art-work that will be included the catalogue. Please see below – and do look forward to the catalogue !

VERA LIVANOVA (1910-1998) 

http://www.digitalsovietart.com/artist-portfolios/233-vera-livanova-1910-1998

Vera Matveevna Livanova was born in Moscow. Her mother was Natalia Valeryavnovna Lyubavskaya (born Zyzykina), and her father was Matvey Kuzmich Lyubavsky - historian, professor and chancellor at the Moscow State University before the Revolution. In 1930 she graduated from the Theater Design department of the Vkhutein art institute - among her teachers were three icons of pre-war Soviet art, Gennady Gerasimov, Lev Bruni and Piotr Konchalovsky. Her style as a poster artist was shaped under the guidance of well-known masters of early Soviet art Aleksandr Deineka, Yuri Pimenov and Vladimir Tatlin. Vera Matveevna started her career as a professional artist in Perm doing theater designs. After two years in Perm she moved to Kiev where she started working as a poster artist. In 1936 Vera Livanova settled down in Moscow and in 1938 she became a member of the Moscow Union of Artists. Being very productive, from 1937 to 1968 Vera Livanova worked as a poster artist for the “Izogiz” and “Soviet Artist” publishing houses. In the period from 1958 to 1968 she carried out commissions for “Agitplakat”.At the beginning of her career with “Izogiz”, Livanova’s posters focused on topics related to the rise of agricultural and industrial standards under the Soviet regime. Common topics were those connected with elections, anniversaries and other political events celebrated by the Soviet ideology. Her posters show her mastery as a colourist, not being afraid of innovative colour solutions. During World War II Vera Livanova’s work focused on mass propaganda themes. The first poster announcing the defeat of fascist Germany was created by her. After the war Livanova turned to the concept of post-war reconstruction of Soviet agriculture. She also published posters dealing with elections, with titles such as “Elections to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR” and “The Constitution of the USSR”.Livanova’s posters of the fifties demonstrate the artist’s fascination with the traditional Russian “lubok”. Her series of posters dedicated to Moscow’s 800th anniversary depict a composition and a range of colours very much alike the style of popular lubok images. The sixties focused on international themes. Slogans such as “Freedom to Africa!”, “May. Peace. Labour!”, “Peace and Happiness for the World!” are typical of that period. Through her career Vera Livanova traveled extensively in the Soviet Union - all documented in her masterful pencil drawings and gouaches. Destinations were Khosta in 1957, Gurzuf and the Crimea in the 1960s, and the developing Siberia of the1960s - Divnogorsk, the Enisei river, and the construction of the Krasnoyarsk hydro power plant in Dudinka.Vera Livanova and her husband German Livanov, architect and theater director, provided a significant artistic inspiration for their daughter Tatyana, and Vera Matveevna designed several posters together with her daughter. 

TATYANA LIVANOVA (1931-2012) 

http://www.digitalsovietart.com/artist-portfolios/235-tatyana-livanova-1931-2012

Tatyana Germanovna Livanova was born in Perm. Her father German Livanov was an architect and theater director, and her mother, Vera Livanova, was a famous Soviet poster artist. She graduated as a designer from the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography in Moscow. During her career, Livanova has been working as a set and costume design artist for the circus, cinema, ballet and drama, as well as for TV productions. Livanova formed herself as an artist under the guidance of outstanding masters, such as Yuri Pimenov, Grigory Schegal and Joseph Shpinel. Her graduation work was set designs for the film by Nikolai Pogodin “The Kremlin Chiming Clock”, and her first official assignment after graduation was costumes to the film “A War Secret”.In the early 1960s she designed  costumes, posters and programs for the Soviet State Circus. During that period she designed several political posters, together with her mother Vera Livanova. All through her career, she designed sets and costumes for a large number of films, e.g. the Mosfilm productions “Summerfolks” (Maksim Gorky), “The Youth is with Us”, “The Only Way”, “The Birds Fly North”, and the TV productions “Two Captains” and “Truth Is Good But Happiness Is Better“ (Alexander Ostrovsky).Tatyana Germanovna considered the most important period of her career was her work with director Boris Babochkin at the Maly Theater, for example with the Ostrovsky plays “Truth Is Good But Happiness Is Better“and “A Profitable Place”, the Maksim Gorky plays “Dostigayev and Others” and “Counterfeit Money”. She also did designs for “Zar Potap” (Alexander Kapkov), “Mother’s Field” (Chingiz Aitmatov), “The Road To Calvary” (Aleksei Tolstoy), “The Wedding” (Mikhail Zoshchenko), “The Glass  Menagerie” (Tennessee Williams), “The Comedy of Errors” (William Shakespeare), and about 20 more plays. Livanova prepared costumes and stage designs for the Tatar State Theater of Opera and Ballet’s production of “Sleeping Beauty” (Peter Chaikovsky), and for the ballet “Leili and Medzhyn” (Sergei Balasanyan).

Enjoy the shows !

Kudos to Allan Gamborg and his "Soviet Moscow" exhibition, opening next week.

For many years, I've passed along news of my friend Allan Gamborg's career in collecting and curating Soviet-era art. He's got a big exhibition coming up, and although I'd love to go, all I can do is recognize it here.

---

Dear Friends,

I am happy to invite you to the opening of my exhibition - works from my collection on the theme Soviet Moscow (Советская Москва) on Friday March 1, at 17.00. It takes place at Sergey Andriyaka’s Watercolour and Fine Arts Academy - at ulitsa Akademika Vargi, 15, Moscow

The exhibition focuses on Moscow in the Soviet era seen from different perspectives. The exterior: Streets, architecture, political posters. The interior: People, fashion and design, still-lives. At the exhibition there will be about 350 works of art from the 1920s-1960s by 40 different artists.

See more information about the exhibition here: http://academy.andriaka.ru/content/3961/ (only in Russian) .

OPENING OF THE EXHIBITION "SOVIET MOSCOW"

We are pleased to invite you to the opening of the exhibition "Soviet Moscow" on the 1st of March at 17.00 at the Andriaka Academy of Watercolour and Fine Arts, at Ulitsa Akademika Vargi 15.

Soviet Art is experiencing a come-back in popularity. Looking at historic events who took place more than half a century ago through the fine arts, we understand that these works of art no longer are everyday mundane objects, but have turned into a reflection of the beautiful but long gone dream of Socialism.

The works of art in Allan Gamborg Andersen's collection all tell a tale of a time and a place now gone; of places and people during the time of the Soviet Union. Every piece tells a story of the Soviet era - of places of hopes, of production, and of the history of the country in those intense and complicated times that had such an immense impact on the history of the whole world.

The collection of Soviet art was started in mid-1990s. It tries to express the duality of the double lives the many artists led: On the one hand they demonstrate the pride in country and system, the modernisation of production, the all pervasive aspects of politics, the propaganda in its various forms. 

On the other hand, the Collection tries to show the sun falling on a back street, the changing of the seasons in Moscow, young and elders leading their lives in the big city - in short a multitude of motives captured for no other reason than the love of it.

The main principle of Allan Gamborg Andersen's collection is that every work of art should tell a story. A quickly drawn sketch can tell and express as much as large, detailed oil composition.

New exhibitions at the Masters of Soviet Art website.

From time to time, I reintroduce my friend Allan Gamborg. He's Danish by birth, a longtime resident of Moscow, and truly a citizen of the planet.

Allan has enjoyed much success in his "second" (third? fifth?) career as a purveyor and advocate of Soviet-era art and artists. You can use the handy Blogger search here at NAC, use "Gamborg" as the search term, and see previous postings. These days, the website is called Masters of Soviet Art, and it's always worth a few minutes to peruse the art. You need not be a Commie to enjoy the links to Allan's on-line galleries.

As in the past, permit me to thank Allan for his boundless hospitality and for allowing me to share his latest links.

Dear Friends,

We have a series of  new exhibitions on the on the web:

THEMES

ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS IN SOVIET POSTERS

http://www.digitalsovietart.com/thematic-shows/201-acronyms-and-abbreviations-in-soviet-posters

In the early days of the Soviet Union, each social or political innovation by the Soviet government gave rise to new linguistic multisyllabic slogans  - one longer and more awkward than the other - and thus the Russian language was losing the elegance and lightness of the pre-revolution Russian language.

The Russian language evolved in step with the Soviet man. Some examples of acronyms have become generally recognizable, for example Kolkhoz (collective farm - колхоз) and Кomsomol (Young communists' league, комсомол - ВЛКСМ).

ARTISTS

VADIM TROFIMOV (1912-1981) 

http://www.digitalsovietart.com/artist-portfolios/202-vadim-trofimov-1912-1981

Vadim Vadimovich Trofimov was born in the city of Ulyanovsk and moved to Moscow in 1920. He started taking art classes in 1928 with the artist Vatagin, studying both drawing and sculpture - a combination that remained with him through his whole career. His first job a an artist was at the Moscow Darwin museum, where he found his passion for depicting animals. In the 1930 he started working as a book illustrator, for the publishing houses Detskaya Literatura and Prosveshenie. During the war he worked as a poster artist for the famous studio Okna TASS (Tass Windows). He served in WW2 on the Bryansk and the Belorussian fronts, and was awarded several medals. He traveled many times to Ceylon (Sri Lanka), drawing and making lithographs of the daily life on the island. Also, he traveled extensively in the Russian North, depicting Northern animals and Northern landscapes. In his later years he mainly worked in sculpture, plaster, concrete, metal, creating life-size animals and compositions. The State Tretyakov museum in Moscow has a large collection of his works on permanent exhibition, and so does the Moscow Darwin museum. Vadim Vadimovich's daughter Irina Trofimova is a famous textile designer and batik artist, and member of the Russian Academy of Fine Arts.

VLADIMIR FAVORSKY (1886-1964)

http://www.digitalsovietart.com/artist-portfolios/203-vladimir-favorsky-1886-1964

Vladimir Andreevich Favorsky is by many considered the most influential artist and teacher in the disciplines of book illustrations, woodcut and linocut. He became a member of the Academy of Fine Arts in 1962, and a People's Artist (Народный художник СССР) of the USSR in 1963.  He studied under Konstantin Yuon in 1903-05, and then in Munich 1903-1907. From 1907-1913 he studied at Moscow art schools. As an artist, Vladimir Favorsky created an impressive amount of book illustrations in the woodcut and linocut media during the 1920s and 1930s.  As a teacher, Vladimir Favorsky was active in VKHUTEMAS 1920-1930, where he taught and inspired a whole generation of Soviet graphic artists, including Deineka and Pimenov. He taught at the Polygraphic institute from 1930-34, and at the Institute of Fine Arts 1934-38.  He also developed a theory - still used today - of how to design and illustrate books.

BOOK ILLUSTRATIONS

ABOUT THE GIRL NASTYA AND THE MALICIOUS INVISIBLE GIRL (YURY VYAZEMSKY) - MARINA USPENSKAYA, 1986

ПРО ДЕВОЧКУ НАСТЮ И ЗЛУЮ НЕВИДИМКУ (ЮРИЙ ВЯЗЕМСКИЙ)

http://www.digitalsovietart.com/book-illustrations/204-about-the-girl-nastya-and-the-malicious-invisible-girl-yury-vyazemsky-marina-uspenskaya-1986

The children's book was Issued by the publishing house Malysh. Printed in 175.000 copies, price was 25 kopecks.

Enjoy the shows !

It's time for digital Soviet art.

My friend Allan Gamborg updates readers about his new web site. I just concluded twenty minutes lost among these visuals, and Allan is to be praised for providing this experience. Here's the text of his e-mail.

---

Dear Friends,

I am happy to announce our new and improved website with more excellent art, and a much improved user experience, where we put more focus on your visual experience of the art.

Please visit the site here:

http://www.digitalsovietart.com/

Also please note also the most recent web exhibitions:

Famous Soviet Brands

Soviet Fashion Design

Alyonka (Аленка) – 1957 Illustrations by Marina Uspenskaya

Slava Zaitsev – Sketches for clothes designs  - famous Soviet haute couture

Western European Fairytales by Russian Book Illustrators

Two new exhibitions at the Gamborg Gallery.

From time to time, I reintroduce my friend Allan Gamborg. He's Danish by birth, a longtime resident of Moscow and a citizen of the world.

Allan has enjoyed much success in his "second" (third? fifth?) career as a purveyor and advocate of Soviet-era art and artists. You can use the handy Blogger search here at NAC, use "Gamborg" as the search term, and see previous postings.

It's always worth a few minutes to peruse the art, and you need not be a Commie to enjoy the links to Allan's on-line galleries. As in the past, permit me to thank Allan for his boundless hospitality and for allowing me to share his latest links.

Dear Friends,

We have two new exhibitions on the web:

THEME – Soviet Fashion Design in the 1950s-1970s

A series of Soviet fashion designs from the Moscow textile Institute by artists Slava Zaitsev, Irina Trofimova, Natalia Zhovtsis, Irina Kulakova, Boris Derzhavin, Tatyana Nikiforova, and Ninel Ryndich.

ARTIST – Tatyana Alyoshina (1955-1981)

Late 1970s pastels and lithographs of the Russian village, the Soviet circus, Commedia dell’Arte,  and old Russian Fairytales.

Enjoy the shows !

Another round of exhibitions at the Gamborg Gallery.

Regular readers know that from time to time, I reintroduce my friend Allan Gamborg, Danish by birth, and a longtime resident of Moscow. Allan has enjoyed much success in his "second" (third? fifth?) career as a purveyor and advocate of Soviet-era art and artists. You can use the handy Blogger search feature with "Gamborg," and see previous postings. The format's usually the same, and it's always worth a few minutes to peruse the art. You need not be a Commie to enjoy the links to Allan's on-line galleries. As in the past, permit me to thank Allan for his boundless hospitality and to share his latest posting.

Dear Friends,

We have a series of new exhibitions on the Gamborg Gallery on the web:

THEMES

Socialist Leningrad - http://russianart.dk/exhibition.asp?e=427

Leningrad was a very popular theme amongst Soviet artists in the 1940s-1970s – depicting the Moika, Fontanka, Smolnii, and the places where Dostoevsky’s characters were lurking. Here we show a selection of works by Natalia Gippius, Naira Akopyan, Mikhail Rojter, Lipa Rojter, Mikhail Natarevich, Evgenii Gavrilkevich, Klara Vlasova, Galina Dmitrieva, Svetlana Ryazanova, Vadim Volikov, Aleksei Tretyakov, Boris Derzhavin, Boris Uspensky, Dmitrii Dmitriev, and Ivan Tsarevich.

ARTISTS

Lipa Rojter (1916-1993) - http://russianart.dk/exhibition.asp?e=428

We show a large selection of 1940s-1960s works by famous Moscow graphic artist. The topics cover sports, agriculture, the Exhibition of Economical achievements (ВДНХ), Komsomols at work, Mayakovsky, the Russian village.

Viktor Penzin (Born 1938) - http://russianart.dk/exhibition.asp?e=429

Viktor Penzin was born in Penza, and studied at the Moscow Polygraphic Institute from 1953-58. He is one the most famous contemporary graphic artist, known for his series of works dedicated to oldRussia and illustration to classical Russian tales. He is now active in Moscow.

Igor Nikolaev (Born 1938) - http://russianart.dk/exhibition.asp?e=430

Well-known Moscow artist, painting mainly abstract art.

BOOK ILLUSTRATIONS

Moscow Architecture, 1956 illustrations by Roman Zhitkov - http://russianart.dk/exhibition.asp?e=431

A series of illustration to the book "Московское Зодчество" (Moscow Architecture), 1956, by M. Snegeryov. Publisher: Московский рабочий

The Violin (Скрипочка), 1956 illustrations by Marina Uspenskaya -http://russianart.dk/exhibition.asp?e=432

A series of 1956 illustrations to the book "Скрипочка" (The Violin) by L. Kvitko. Publishing house Detgiz 1956, 1957, 1958. Each year printed in 500.000 copies. The price was 30 copecks.

Enjoy the shows !

More new exhibitions at the Gamborg Gallery.

Regular readers know that from time to time, I reintroduce my friend Allan Gamborg, Danish by birth, and a longtime resident of Moscow. Allan has enjoyed much success in his "second" (third? fifth?) career as a purveyor and advocate of Soviet-era art and artists. You can use the handy Blogger search feature with "Gamborg," and see previous postings.

The format's usually the same, and it's always worth a few minutes to peruse the art. You need not be a Commie to enjoy the links to Allan's on-line galleries.

As in the past, permit me to thank Allan for his boundless hospitality and to share his latest posting.

Dear Friends,

We have a series of 6 new exhibitions on the Gamborg Gallery on the web:

THEMES

Soviet Food, Markets & Restaurants

http://russianart.dk/exhibition.asp?e=364

A series of works showing the way food was prepared, sold and served from the 1920s to the 1970s in the Soviet Union.

GAI-Soviet Traffic Police

http://russianart.dk/exhibition.asp?e=420

This exhibition shows a series of works with GAI - traffic police, from the 1940s through the 1990s. The artists Olga Tuchina, Adolf Demko, Marina Uspenskaya and Evgenia Endrikson are represented.

ARTISTS

Evgenia Endrikson (1907-1994)

http://russianart.dk/exhibition.asp?e=419

Evgenia Mikhailovna Endrikson was born Zurich, Switzerland, where her parents lived after leaving Russia, having participated on the losing side in the 1905 revolution. The family returned to the Soviet Union after the 1917 revolution, and she studied at the VKHUTEMAS art school under Kupriyanov and Favorskii 1924-1930. After graduation, she worked as a graphics illustrators for the journals “Pioneer” and Druzhnye Rebyata”, and in the 1930s designing posters for “Izogiz”. In the 1940s Evgenia Mikhailovna worked for the famous childrens’ jounals “Murzilka” and “Pioneer”. From the late 1940s and thorugh the 1950s she worked mainly as a book illustrator of childrens’ books. During the late 1950s and 1960s she worked on a series of gouaches and lithographs based on classical Russian folk tales and fairytales. In the 1970s she prepared a large series of gouaches and lithographs, inspired by the famous Mayakovsky poem “Vladimir Ilych Lenin”.

Vyacheslav Pavlov (Born 1934)

http://russianart.dk/exhibition.asp?e=421

Vyacheslav Ivanovich Pavlov is a famous Moscow graphics artists, specialising in etchings and engravings. From 1951 to 1959 he studied at the Moscow Stroganov institute specialisnig in murals, and he became a member of the Artists' Union in 1963. In the year 2000 he was awarded the title of the Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation.

BOOK ILLUSTRATIONS

The Wolf and the Seven Kids, illustrations by Marina Uspenskaya

http://russianart.dk/exhibition.asp?e=422

Illustration for the Russian Folk tale "Волк и семеро Козлят" - "The Wolf and the Seven Kids", published in two books (1.000.000 copies and 100.000 copies) 35 copecks, by Detskaya Literatura and a set of 10 postcards (50.000 copies), published by Sovetskii Khudozhnik in 1957, price was 1 rouble.

My Grandmother’s Sea, illustrations by Evgenii Meshkov - http://russianart.dk/exhibition.asp?e=423

Illustration for the book "Бабушкино море" by S. Georgievskaya, issued by the publishing house Detskaya Literatura, in 1973 and 1980.

View the new exhibitions at the Gamborg Gallery.

Regular readers know that from time to time, I reintroduce my friend Allan Gamborg, Danish by birth, and a longtime resident of Moscow. Allan has enjoyed much success in his "second" (third? fifth?) career as a purveyor and advocate of Soviet-era art and artists. You can use the handy Blogger search feature with "Gamborg," and see previous postings.

The format's usually the same, and it's always worth a few minutes to peruse the art. You need not be a Commie to enjoy the links to Allan's on-line galleries.

As in the past, permit me to thank Allan for his boundless hospitality and to share his latest posting.

---

Dear Friends,
We have a series of new exhibitions on the Gamborg Gallery on the web:

THEMES

Olympic Sports

A series of artwork showing the Olympic games in Soviet Art.

Anti Smoking Campaign
A series of Soviet posters and artwork propaganding against smoking.

ARTISTS

Boris Derzhavin (born 1921)
Boris Aleksandrovich Derzhavin studied at the Moscow textile insitute in the early years after the war, and later he became a teacher of graphics on the 1950-1960s at the same institute. Both his oils and his gouaches show that he was not educated in the classical socialist realism of the time, but with more freedom of expression.

Nina Shirokova (Born 1934)
Nina Ivanovna Shirokova was born in Tarusa, in a family of a carpenter and a teacher. She was always fond of drawing, and from her early years she took private classes in drawing. From 1956-62 she studied at the Moscow Textile Institute (MTI), which she favoured particularly because of the controversial non-conformist teacher Eliy Bilyutin.She specialised in textile design. Amongst her professors were Pochitalov (painting), Aleksandr Ivanov (graphics), and Aleksandr Dubinchik (drawing). Before and during her studies, she took private classes in painting from VKhuTeMas artist Konstantin Lekomtsev, where she also made friends with his wife, famous Moscow artist Natalia Gippius. During the 1960s she held different positions in relation to industrial and interior design, for example her design of the ideal Soviet one-room flat in 1963 and the interior of Aeroflot planes in 1964. In the later 1960s she did a series of scarfs and textiles at the Schyolkovo textile manufacture. During the 60s and 70s she regularly visited the studio of Eliy Bilyutin, who was famous in the period for his teaching of non-socialist realism methods of drawing and painting (formalism). Her personal works of that period are strongly inspired by Bilyutin and by the style of the non-conformists. Thematically, she paints landscapes in bright and powerful colours, still-lives, as well as nudes and portraits. She is a highly skilled and inspired draughtsman, with a simple and bold line. Her favourite media are pencil, gouache, tempera and watercolour. Nina Ivanovna’s works are a bright example of the artistic freedom that many former students of the Moscow Textile Institute were able to take advantage of. They were not educated according to, and consequently not artistically limited by, the dogmas of the Socialist Realism. Her personal works were very rarely shown publicly in the 1960s-2000, particularly the works painted in her Bilyutin period. Nina Ivanovna now lives in Moscow.

Galina Ivanova (1937-2009)
Galina Ivanovna Ivanova was born in Moscow in 1937. In 1959 she graduated from the Moscow Pedagogical Institute named after V.P. Potemkin. She participated in her first exhibition in 1961, and in 1967 she joined the Artist Union, the graphics section. During the 1960s and 1970s she travelled extensively in the Soviet Union, depiction the old cultural centres of Russia, and the ancient churches. During the 1970s, she printed a large series of images of the old Moscow, around the Patriarch's Ponds and the Garden Ring. Her favourite media were lithography and watercolour. In particular her lithographs are very recognisable, in her personal soft and pastel-like style.

Vera Orekhova (1907-2007) -
Vera Andreevna Orekhova studied at the Famous Moscow VKHTUMAS art institute in the late 1920s, amongst here teachers were Gerasimov, Rodionov and Konchalovsky. Her favourite media are watercolour and lithography, and she is famous for her images of Moscow in the 1940s-1970s, and of her wonderful still-lives, inspired by the French impressionist and post-impressionist school.

David Borovsky (1926-2004)
David Borovsky was a prominent graphic artist, active in Leningrad. From 1945-1952 he studied at Repin State Institute of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture of the USSR Academy of Fine Arts under K. Rudakov. His graduation work was the series of illustrations Maxim Gorky. He began exhibiting in 1952 and participated in major art exhibitions in the USSR. Borovsky illustrated books for Goslitizdat, Detgiz and Iskusstvo publishing houses. His most known works in book illustration are: Compositions by I. Turgenev (1954-55), Mountain Nest by Mamin-Sibiriak (1955), Who Lives Well in Russia? by N. Nekrasov (1960), etc. Borovsky created the series of color lithographs: Leningrad Choreography School (1955), V.I. Lenin (1957) and works in book illustration, a series of colour monotypes (1961-1963). He produced a famous series of lithographs depicting the workers of the electricity industry.

Dilyara Varlshina (Born 1937)
Dilyara Khalilovna is a well-known Moscow graphic artist, specilalising in linocuts and lithography. She finished the Moscow Polygraphic institute in 1971, and in 1977 she joined the Artists' Union, the graphics section. In the early years after graduation she worked in the theatre doing stage designs and costumes, and later she started working with Moscow publishing houses as a book illustrator. The favourite theme is sports, and many of her prints depict cycling, voleyball, fencing, and gymnastics.

BOOK ILLUSTRATIONS

Master and Margarita, illustrations by Mihai Brunea
A series of illustrations to the famous novel Master and Margerita by Bulgakov. The main character wakes up after a heavy night of drinking and finds himself in the company of Voland the devil, who moonlights as a foreign consultant. The book was issued in Kisnyov, Moldova in the 1980s.

From Morning to Evening (С утра до вечера) – Illustrations by Evgeniya Endrikson
A series of original illustrations to the book "From Morning to Evening" (С утра до вечера) from 1945 by Evgeniya Endrikson. The book was printed right after the war, with lack of paper and printing facilities, so the illustrations should comply with those requirements, i.e. it should be black and white, and with simple detail.

Summer In the Kolkhoz (Лето в колхозе) – Illustrations by Evgeniya Endrikson
A series of original illustrations to the book " Summer In the Kolkhoz " (Летом в колхозе) from the early 1950s by Evgeniya Endrikson.

The Childrens’ Bus (Детский автобус) - illustrations by Marina Uspenskaya
A series of original illustrations by Marina Uspenskaya for the book " Детский автобус " (The Childrens’ Bus), by Zinaida Aleksandrova. Published by Detgiz in 1957, in 310.000 copies. Price was 2 roubles.

Enjoy the shows !