Сonstructivism

A Russian sculptor of Jewish origin, an artist, stage designer and art theorist who worked in different countries of Europe and for a long time in the USA.Gabo was one of the pioneers of modern sculpture. Instead of wood, stone or bronze, he used new industrial materials - acrylic glass, plastics and nylon threads. In his abstract spatial constructions, mass and volume - these "cornerstones of traditional sculpture" - turned out to be half-transparent, seemed weightless even with significant weight. A truly unique feature of Gabo's work is that he was inspired not by nature but the concepts of the exact sciences.With his ideas on contemporary sculpture, Naum Gabo revolutionized the general understanding of sculpture and its perception, having earned a place in the catalog of “100 artists from ancient Greece to the present, who played a significant role in the development of sculpture, painting and photography” published in the USA.The leader of the world avant-garde art, N. Gabo belonged to a group of Russian Constructivists (he was an ally of Tatlin, Malevich, Rodchenko) and representatives of the German Bauhaus; moreover, he was a member of the Paris group "Abstraction" of Amsterdam's "Style". Gabo decisively influenced modern English sculpture and was awarded the title of "Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire". In addition, the artist became one of the pioneers in the creation of kinetic visual art.

A talented and original Ukrainian artist, a bright and influential representative of avant-garde painting and scenography. Her career was marked by constant innovative searches, as a result of which she made a significant contribution to the development of both Ukrainian and Russian painting avant-garde, decorative and applied art and scenography.The studio school that Alexandra Alexandrovna opened in Kyiv laid the foundations for new methods of teaching fine art. Ekster participated in most of the exhibitions held until 1925 in the capitals of Russia and Ukraine, exhibited her works in Germany, France and the USA.She was one of the first artists to receive lifetime recognition, as evidenced by numerous articles in periodicals of various countries, in particular, an illustrated monograph written in four languages by J. Tugendhold, a famous art critic and influential connoisseur of new French art (1922, Berlin).

A Romanian painter and sculptor of Jewish origin, the main representative of the vanguard of this country in the first half of the 20th century and during the post-war period. The artist made a significant part of his creative career in France. Although Victor Brauner, after his early post-impressionist and expressionist experiences, contributed to every avant-garde movement, much of his work fits into the concept of Surrealism.Active in the cultural life of his country, the artist tried to develop avant-garde movements - he founded the magazine “75 HP” in Bucharest, wrote the “Manifesto of Picto-Poetry,” and organized exhibitions of Dadaists and Surrealists. However, the threat of falling into the dungeons of the Nazis forced the artist to settle in France.Brauner was an active and influential member of the Surrealist association headed by Andre Breton; however, according to art expert, his art stood apart due to the artist’s unbridled imagination and, most importantly, his serious passion for esoteric ideas and the authentic art of different nationalities. This style made the artist original, especially after he lost his eye – the same one, which he depicted as knocked out in his self-portrait seven years before it happened in real.Victor Brauner was a participant in major surrealist exhibitions; in 1966 (in the year of his death), he was chosen to represent France at the Venice Biennale. He willed to make the inscription, "Painting is life, real life, my life" on the grave plate of the Montmartre cemetery.

A Ukrainian artist of Jewish origin, who lived and worked in Russia for a long time. He was a portrait master, graphic illustrator, sculptor and theatre artist. The prominent avant-garde artist was a founding member of Russian cubism, a member of such significant creative groups as The World of Art and The Union of Youth, one of the founders of the Jewish Society for the Promotion of Arts. He was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Russia in 1968.

A German representative of avant-garde, a prominent artist, sculptor, master of monumental painting, as well as a choreographer, theater designer and art theorist. For about 10 years he worked at the famous Bauhaus school of art and industry (Bauhaus, Weimar), developing the training course “Der Mensch” (Man), which was based on the synthesis of the techniques of several artistic disciplines and different styles. Oscar Schlemmer made a significant contribution to the art of scenography, creating design and choreography for several operas and ballets. The artist’s paintings were included in the list of “degenerative”; he was forbidden to paint and work as a teacher at art schools.

A German artist, designer, writer and theorist of art, a talented teacher who worked in America for a long time. The name of Josef Alberts is inextricably connected with the Bauhaus Higher Art School in Weimar, which was known for its avant-garde orientation. A former student of this institution, Albers worked there as a teacher, created a new art glass studio, and later became the deputy director of the school.In the USA, where the artist emigrated after the Bauhaus was disbanded by the Nazi authorities, he continued his teaching activities and played an important role in spreading the aesthetics of constructivism, cubism and abstract art among American artists. His work served as a kind of bridge between European avant-garde trends and the new modern art of America.Albers was best known for his series of works “Homage to the Square”, which includes geometric abstract paintings and lithographs that are distinguished by exceptionally subtle chromatic harmony. Almost all the paintings in the series consist of several squares that are inside each other and painted in muted harmonious colours. Creating his work, the artist carefully thought out every detail, the most delicate shades of colour and the effect of the use of certain combinations.In 1963, the artist developed the theory of colour pigments, which he outlined in his book “Interaction of Colour”.

A Lithuanian painter, master of applied graphics, a prominent art historian, teacher and talented organizer. As a bright representative of the second wave of Russian Suprematism and Constructivism, the artist actively promoted the ideas of new art close to Russian Suprematism in the style of Malevich and Constructivism in the style of Tatlin, as well as such styles as Cubism and Futurism.In 1923, the artist was the first to widely and officially introduce avant-garde art to Lithuanian artists and the public by organizing the New Art Exhibition in Vilnius. The process in this country was much slower, and the efforts undertaken by Kairiūkštis and his like-minded people to introduce the ideas of the European avant-garde significantly accelerated changes in Lithuanian art.At the invitation of Kairiūkštis, Polish Constructivists from “The Bloc” participated in the “New Exhibition”. This allowed Lithuanian artists to become members of this Warsaw association, and later to join the “Present Tense” group.For about 10 years, the artist headed the painting department at the Vilnius Academy of Arts, organized his own studio, and also worked in Kaunas. As a result of his active pedagogical activity, the entire generation of his compatriots was encouraged to radically depart from Academism.As a researcher of the Lithuanian modernist era, Vytautas Kairiūkštis published a monograph about his fellow countryman, watercolor artist Kajetonas Sklėrius, several articles on the work of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis and a number of articles on the theory and history of fine art.

A Russian artist, designer and painter, fashion designer and polygraphist, a bright representative of the Moscow avant-garde, in particular, Constructivism, poet, the wife and associate of Alexander Rodchenko. She exhibited and published her paintings under the pseudonym Warst. One of the five main “Amazons of the Russian avant-garde” actively created a new world through art.Being not only an artist but also a futurist poet, Varvara Stepanova drew inspiration for her first paintings in literature, and published her poems in handwritten versions, decorated with her own collages and drawings in different modern styles. Thus, she became a creator of a new creative genre known as "visual poetry".Joining the constructivist movement, Stepanova did not give up figurative easel painting and, as a result, occupied a special very individual niche in this art movement. Varvara Fedorovna became the most famous, having created one and a half hundred drawings for fabrics, as well as special models called “overalls”. In the avant-garde magazine New LEF, she published an article, the content of which expressed her conviction that costumes and dresses should be not decorative but comfortable and functional.Also, Stepanova worked as a stage designer, offering the Meyerhold Theater a completely new functional approach to stage decorations and costumes for actors. In the production of the play by A.V. Sukhovo-Kobylin, «The Death of Tarelkin», Stepanova was a “designer”, and S. Eisenstein was a laboratory assistant (that was written on the poster). Later, Stepanova applied her design experience working in the field of book and magazine prototyping, designed dozens of photo albums.The works of Stepanova are in many leading museums of the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid. The largest collection of paintings by the artist is stored at the Personal collection department of The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts.

An outstanding Argentinean artist, painter and cartoonist, master of scenery, illustrations and mosaic technology, spent the last period of his long creative career in Paris. He was one of the most influential avant-garde artists of Argentina in the 20th century and became famous for his unique style, combining the tendencies of different art movements in contemporary visual art. Galleries and museums in Europe, the United States and other countries purchased the master's works. However, most are in private collections; hundreds of paintings by the popular artist are exhibited annually at art auctions.

An English artist, one of the prominent figures of British avant-garde painting. A student of the famous Slade School, David Bomberg was one of the so-called “Whitechapel Boys”, artists from East London, many of who made important contributions to the visual arts of England. He was a member of the “London Group”, an association of artists of various modernist art movements. Bomberg exhibited his paintings at the New England Art Club and was a talented teacher, whose students were famous artists. The First World War, in which he was directly involved, had a profound effect on the artist's work, fundamentally changing his attitude to art. Despite the fact that the works of David Bomberg are considered the most vivid examples of the English avant-garde movement of Vorticism, he did not consider himself to be a representative this movement, always being independent in his creative style.

A Russian Italian-born artist who worked in France for many years. Repin's pupil and a brilliant representative of the Russian avant-garde in the early period of his creative work, Jean Pougny worked in the manner of Fauvism and lyrical primitivism in the longer Parisian period of his career.He was the organizer and sponsor of such avant-garde exhibitions as "Tram B" and the last futuristic exhibition "0, 10". In collaboration with his wife, artist Ksenia Boguslavskaya, he wrote a manifesto declaring the liberation of creativity from semantic content. Together with Malewicz, he gave a lecture on “Cubism - Futurism - Suprematism” and became a founding member of the union “Freedom to Art” and the community “0, 10”.He was a professor at the Petrograd free art workshops, collaborated with the newspaper “The Art of the Commune”, at the invitation of Marc Chagall taught at the Vitebsk Folk art school. Having emigrated to Germany, he wrote a controversial book “Modern Art”, which contained not only biased analysis, but also sharp criticism of non-subject matter.Becoming a French citizen, he was twice awarded the Legion of Honor. Pougny’s work of different periods is represented at many museums around the world - except for Russia; those are in France, the United States, Great Britain and other countries.

A Ukrainian avant-garde artist, painter and designer, an active and prominent participant in various latest art movements and groups of the 1910-1920s of the 20th century. He is often referred to as “Ukrainian Picasso” in art history. He was the author and designer of such innovative projects at that time as book and propaganda vans, prefabricated kiosks and advertising stands. He worked productively in industrial graphics, developing design for packaging, factory and brand names and so on. Being engaged in the processing of fonts, he created new original styles. He wrote many easel paintings in the genres of landscape and portrait, and also painted covers for avant-garde magazines and books. Yermylov can be called an associate member of the activities of El Lissitzky and Alexander Rodchenko; he was a friend of Vladimir Mayakovsky, Velemir Khlebnikov and Vasily Kamensky. The post-revolutionary development of art in Kharkov is often called the “Yermylov period” - he is deservedly considered the leader of the Ukrainian Constructivist school and a key figure in the country's avant-garde. The master’s works are, in addition to Ukrainian and Russian major museums of modern art, in galleries and museums in the USA, Germany, France, and are in demand at international auctions. In Kharkov, in 2012, the first center of contemporary art was opened, named "Yermylov Center" after the innovative artist.

A Russian artist, graphic artist, designer, stage designer, a major avant-garde master, whose short creative career evolved in the revolutionary era. Lyubov Popova participated in the practical embodiment of the three most important styles - cubism, suprematism and constructivism, wrote programs for students. In 2009, the Tate Gallery in London reconstructed the exhibition “5 x 5 = 25” (Moscow, 1921), organized by the artist along with like-minded people, as the most important for understanding the development of the Russian avant-garde. In 2012, one of the craters of Mercury was named in honor of Popova.

A Ukrainian artist and graphic artist, designer and set designer, who worked for a considerable time in Moscow. V. Tatlin was the founder of the Art Constructivism and the largest representative of the innovative movement in the art of the 20th century. The symbol of this art movement is the “Tatlin’s Tower”, developed by the innovator in 1919.

A prominent Ukrainian avant-garde painter and graphic artist, outstanding theater artist, master of book illustration. The time of studies and the first ten years of Petrytsky's creative career coincided with the end of the era of creative freedom, which did not last long after the revolution. The artist managed to absorb this freedom and work in several avant-garde styles. The work of Petrytsky was multifaceted: he worked, combining European modernism, Ukrainian and Russian cubofuturism and Moscow constructivism with the wealth of Ukrainian folk culture, as an easel painter, an artist-decorator of the theater, an illustrator and poster artist. For the artist, who turned out to be a creator of numerous portraits of the «enemies of the people» (for example, L. Kurbas and M. Semenko who were shot), it was vital to “overcome” the avant-garde artist inside himself. Having successful and already considerable experience in the theater by the mid-1930s and showing loyalty to the authorities, Petrytsky managed to make his career as a set designer and worked as an artist at the best theaters in Moscow, Kyiv and Kharkiv. His merits were marked by the highest state prizes and awards. He was an honoured art worker of Ukraine; in 1944, he became the People's Artist of the USSR. The importance of the art of Anatol Petrytsky is evidenced by international exhibitions - such as “Crossroads: the Vanguard in Ukraine” (2006, Chicago). More than 600 theatrical works by Anatol Petrytsky belong to the collections of the Museums of Theater, Music and Cinema of Kyiv and Moscow. Some preserved easel works are exhibited at the National Art Museum of Ukraine. One street in Kyiv was named in honour of the artist.

A Russian avant-garde artist, painter, graphic artist, master of art photography, poster artist, innovative photographer, sculptor, film artist. Alexander Rodchenko is rightly called the founder of advertising and design in the USSR. Rodchenko, along with V. Tatlin, is one of the ideologists of Constructivism. He was an adherent of the art movement when the form in the art merges with its utilitarian function. His wife, artist and designer Varvara Stepanova, helped him to do researches in the field of constructivist practice; they created many projects together in 40 years. Alexander Rodchenko left a legacy of poster production, as well as book graphics, illustrating Mayakovsky and Kruchenykh, Khlebnikov and other avant-garde word masters. The master’s photographic works, his ideas in creating installations and in designing small architectural forms are very highly valued throughout the world. Cinema attracted the artist as a new technical art. Collaborating with avant-garde cinema, Rodchenko created posters for the film “Battleship Potemkin” by Sergei Eisenstein; later worked as a decorator and production designer of the film “Your Acquaintance” by L. Kuleshov. Positioning himself after 1921 not as an artist-creator, but as an artist-designer, Alexander Rodchenko vividly responded to invitations to decorate cities, create posters, organize exhibitions and workshops. Being a professor of state-owned free workshops, he organized the work of one of the first design studio faculties in the USSR. As an artist and photographer, Alexander Rodchenko is represented in major museums in Russia, Europe. His work “Black on Black” is in the permanent exhibition of the New York Museum of Modern Art.

An Israeli and Romanian artist and architect, publisher and writer, a significant figure in the world avant-garde of the 20th century.He was born into a Jewish family. While studying at a secondary school, he also took private piano lessons and individual painting lessons from Romanian Expressionist Joseph Izer.He was a theorist of Dadaism and one of the leading exhibitors of constructivism in Easter Europe, as well as a founding member of several creative and innovative associations of artists in Romania and Israel. Marcel Janko became an organizer and designer of the village of painters and sculptors in Ein Hod near Haifa (Israel), where the Yanko-Dada Museum and studios are now actively working. He is a laureate of several prestigious awards in his historical motherland.

A French painter, sculptor, master of the monumental decorative art, one of the grandees of the fine art of the early twentieth century.The father of the future artist was engaged in cattle breeding and died when Fernan was only a few years old. Leger received his primary education at the church school in Tensecheb, and afterward, he studied architecture in Cannes.Fernand Leger played an important role in the formation and dissemination of Cubism and laid the foundations for such avant-garde trends as Neoplasticism and Constructivism. The artist actively collaborated with Cubist group "Golden Section", participated in the exhibitions "Salon of Independent", "Autumn Salon" and avant-garde association "Style", founded by Piet Mondrian in the Netherlands and the Russian "Jack of Diamonds". His interest in the possibility of synthesis of the arts led to the development and implementation of several architectural and design projects. The artist also clearly manifested himself in the field of applied creativity, scenography, cinema and book graphics. Together with Ozenfant, he founded The Free Art School, and later The Contemporary Art Academy. From 1940, the artist lived in the United States, where he taught at Yale University and at Mills College in California and achieved much in promoting contemporary art trends in the country.

An outstanding Hungarian artist of Jewish origin, one of the most famous representatives of the Hungarian avant-garde of the first half of the 20th century. He was born to a working-class Jewish family. Using the aesthetics and techniques of a number of modern movements, Bela Kadar created powerful images based on the Magyar (Hungarian) culture and legends. The artist was a member of popular Berlin art group “Der Sturm”, his works were exhibited in Europe and America, were bought by the national museum of Hungary and remain in demand in the world to this day.His favorite plots were those with galloping horses, toy horses or statuettes appearing in urban and interior paintings, portraits and landscapes. Another motif, often reproduced by the artist, is music. His naked women were depicted with guitars and other instruments in the most unexpected ways. The master's pictures with subjects written in a light manner became widely famous - they provided a viewer with aesthetic pleasure and easily fit into any interior. Today, his paintings are in many private and public collections around the world, including the Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest.

Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris, better known as Le Corbusier, was a French architect, the pioneer of architectural modernism and functionalism, a representative of international architecture, an artist and a designer. He was one of the founders of Purism.Jeanneret created his first architectural project at the age of 17, under the guidance of a professional architect. It was a house for engraver Louis Fallet. As soon as the construction was completed, Jeanneret made his first educational trip to Italy and Austria-Hungary. In Italy, Austria and France he created a few new projects for local buildings. “I prefer drawing to talking. Drawing is faster, and leaves less room for lies,” he said.

Dutch artist who practiced painting, writing, poetry and architecture. The founder and leader of “De Stijl” (“Style”), a Dutch artistic movement also known as Neoplasticism. As a poet he wrote under the pseudonym I. K. Bonset, and as a philosopher – the pseudonym Aldo Kamini.Van Doesburg was an architect by profession; he learned painting on his own. The artist created his works after long and careful calculation, using mathematical formulas. According to the theory of “Style”, compositions were to be constructed in accordance with the proportional relations between the geometric fragments that are included in their composition.

Artist and art theoretician. He was the pioneer of geometric abstract art and the originator of the avant-garde Suprematist movement and Cubo-Futurism.Malevich created his first oil painting at the age of 16. It was named “Moonlit Night”. In his paintings, he tried to combine the principles of Cubism, Futurism and Expressionism. He was also interested in aerial photography and aviation, which led him to abstractions inspired by aerial landscapes.

Outstanding Romanian artist of German-Jewish origin, talented stage designer and one of the leading representatives of the Avant-garde movement in his country. The artist worked in the styles of Cubism, Expressionism, Constructivism and Modernism. He was the founder and editor of several periodicals. Max Hermann Maxy ran a school that he founded for those expelled from the official Academy Jewish artists, as well as a Jewish theater. In the 1920s, when the wave of artistic innovations began in Romania, Maximilian Hermann was at the forefront of the rebellion against a society that had deprived them of the right to full citizenship. He investigated the newest styles of art, joined provocative modern movements, organized the work of new educational institutions and the publication of journals. After the war, the painter was appointed the director of the Romanian Museum of Art and professor of the Institute of Fine Arts named after Nikolai Grigorescu. He made a great contribution to the formation and development of Romania’s culture.

A Russian artist of Jewish origin, a vivid representative of the avant-garde of the first third of the 20th-century art. El Lissitzky is rightly classified as a “pioneer” in exposition design. His famous prouns (short for “projects of the approval of the new”) conquered Europe - the “Prouns' Room” was created in Berlin, and the principles developed by Lissitzky were used by such artists as V. Tatlin, P. Mondrian, etc.The role of Lissitzky in building effective bridges between the Western avant-garde and Russian post-revolutionary art in the 1920s was significant. Collaborating with many art magazines published in Berlin and Amsterdam, Lissitzky influenced the development of the international graphic design of the XX century and a whole generation of European artists.Lissitzky believed that the artist is an agent of social changes, who seeks and implements a new expressive language through posters with a bright visual effect, easily understood by all social layers in all countries of the world. The propaganda side of many of his works does not overshadow what the artist brought into the use of forms, solid colours, and their organization in the space of the work. His creative concept developed the branch when the totality of the work is a unique style that embodies painting, architecture and sculpture.The artist was an active member of the Jewish national cultural revival, organizer and participant in exhibitions, illustrator of Jewish literature. A valuable contribution to the development of art was his essay “Memories of the Mogilev Synagogue” published in 1923 in Berlin, the only theoretical work by Lissitzky dedicated to Jewish decorative art.

The tower is located on the territory of the factory “Red Nailer”, which was initially built by foreign merchant F. A. Chopin as an iron foundry.

A large-scale project called the “Palace of Communism” was not implemented in real life, like many other ideas of Yakov Chernikhov. It is pure architectural fantasy, similar not to a drawing of a future building but an illustration depicting the perfect harmony of form and space.

Yakov Chernikhov primarily worked on architectural projects that had practical applications, but many of his works are just drawings, fantasies on the theme of urban architecture of the past and future. This work belongs to this category and gives the audience direct associations with the creation of another famous architect-dreamer Giovanni Battista Piranesi, who created numerous colourful projects that were not always intended for implementation.

The cycle “Design of architectural and machine forms”, which includes this composition, reflects Chernikhov’s enthusiasm for industrial architecture after he graduated from the Academy of Arts in 1925. His desire to include the most modern technical equipment in everyday reality fully expressed the spirit of the early Soviet avant-garde, when various machines and mechanisms confidently entered the life of every person.

The figure demonstrates the main features of the architectural compositions of Yakov Chernikhov: asymmetry, dynamism and careful study of every detail. Many drawings of the architect served as illustrations for his theoretical works and were not intended to be embodied in real conditions.

The sculpture made of transparent plexiglass consists of geometric planes embedded with holes and slits in each other. The jets flow in biomorphic bends, shift to wrap themselves.

The project of the propaganda installation by Gustavs Klucis is a small architectural form in the style of constructivism. The artist actively participated in the development of various projects for festive Moscow.

By compositional solution, this work made in the style of constructivism belongs to the series “City Dynamics”. Here, the globe is depicted more conventionally and collage elements are completely absent.

Dimensions: 22.5 x 18.5 cm.

Mediums: lithography. Location: The Museum of Modern Art, New York (the USA).

Mediums: cardboard, watercolour, pencil. Location: The Museum of Modern Art, New York (the USA).

Mediums: panel, oil. Location: The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid, (Spain).

Mediums: Lithography paper. Location: The print of 1966 is in the Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven (Netherlands).

Mediums: gouache, ink, pencil, varnish, silver, paper. Location: The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow (Russia).

Mediums: oil, ink, paper. Location: Museum of Modern Art of New York (the USA).

Mediums: plywood, oil, varnish, pencil, colored and emery paper, foil. Location: Museum of Modern Art of New York (the USA).

Mediums: cardboard, gouache, lead pencil. Location: The National Museum of Modern Art Center Pompidou, Paris (France).

Mediums: cardboard, oil, gouache. Location: private collection.

Mediums: cardboard, gouache, graphite. Location: The National Museum of Modern Art Center Pompidou, Paris (France).

Mediums: oil, plywood. Location: The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow (Russia).

Материалы: масло, холст. Местонахождение: находится в собственности семьи художника (Франция).

Mediums: wood, oil, cardboard, zinc. Location: The Tate Modern Gallery, London (the UK).

Mediums: oil, canvas. Location: The Collection of the Center G. Pompidou, Paris (France).

Mediums: paint, wood, sand, relief, collage of photos. Location: private collection (the USA).

Mediums: gouache, paper. Location: The State Museum of Ukrainian Fine Arts (Kyiv).

Mediums: wood, varnish. Location: The collection of the Seperot Foundation (Liechtenstein).

Mediums: wood, brass, varnish, paint. Location: The Museum of Modern Art, New York (the USA).

Mediums: oil, canvas. Location: private collection.

Mediums: wood, cardboard, oil, tin. Location: not established.

Mediums: wood, copper, wire. Location: The State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg (Russia).

Mediums: tusche, gouache, paper. Location: The Museum of Theater, Music and Cinema of Ukraine (Kyiv).

Материалы: бумага, акварель, аппликация. Местонахождение: находится в Музее театрального, музыкального и киноискусства Украины (Киев).

Mediums: paper, collage. Location: private collection.

Mediums: oil, cement. Location: Kröller-Müller Museum.