Nikolai Tarabukin
Octavo 22cm., wrappers, 71pp. Tarabukin (1899-1956) was a highly regarded art historian and was the main theorist for the Proletkult . He chaired Scientific Secretary of the Institute of Artistic Culture (Inkhuk) from 1921 to 1924 and issued this, his first written work during that time, although the book was written in 1916. He was highly influenced by Wolfflin and initially conservative, although he did provide a clear explanation for constructivism in his work From Easel to Machine, which appeared in 1922, before this book was released. Cover designer Mikhail Sokolov (1885-1947) participated in the avant-garde as a graphic designer, painter and illustrator and taught variously throughout the 1920s, eventually at the Institute of Advanced Training of Artists and Designers from 1936 to 1938. That year he was arrested and sentenced for seven years to a Siberian labor camp. OCLC locates six North American library holdings (Getty, Harvard, UNC, Univ Alta, Princeton, Univ IA).
Gustav Klutsis cover (Osip Mandel'shtam, Marina Tsvetaeva, Boris Pasternak, Il'ia Sel'vinskii)
Octavo 17,8x 12 cm., wrappers, (26) pp.The All-Russian Union of Poets was organized in Moscow in 1918 and continued to 1929 when it was absorbed into All Russian Union of Writers. In 1922 it came under the scrutiny of the NKVD who forced it to change the charter of its aims This collection consists of exponents of various schools due to the extreme dubiousness of the goals and revolutionary objectives pursued by the Union, as well as harmful activities to the ranks of youth. This is the second poetry collection issued by the Union. Poets representing various isms are found here with Mandel shtam (Sestry), Tsvetaeva (Kon -Khrom), Pasternak (Mne v sumerki ty vse.), Sel vinskii and Boguslavskii, among others. Rare, Getty 827,MOMA 394. Printed on heavy van Gelder, This copy very crisp, near fine. With very fine cover by Gustav Klutsis, one of his earliest works.
Quarto 28.5x20 cm., original wrapper on rebound contemporary cloth 29.5x21 cm. 221pp., six of 8 color plates, 57 line illustrated instructions, 715 black and white renderings; 3100 copies issued. Iakov Chernikhov (1889-1951) was a working architect, theorist, and graphic designer. His books on architecture, published from 1927 to 1933 are among the most innovative texts and illustrations of their time. Chernikhov possessed a febrile, incredibly inventive imagination, and some his work parallels the theoretical experiments at VKHUTEMAS but with greater technical understanding. Ornament, Classically Composed Structures, was self-published in 1930. It is a course for students in book form, and is the result of Many years of teaching at educational institutions. Together with the study and development of technical skills, there is a stress on "internal content" of creative intuition. Chernikhov was overlooked in his day; he wan't associated with the Suprematists or Constructivists, but his design sense is far reaching today. Getty 127, MOMA 857. The present copy is very good to near fine, but noting the two missing plates, is priced accordingly.
Aleksandr Vvedenskii
Octabo 21.5x18 cm., illustrated wrappers, (10) pp. Drawings by L. Iudin. A wonderful collaboration between OBERIU pioneer and absurdist Aleksandr Vvedenskii and Lev Iudin in a most original, brilliant work for children. Lev Aleksandrovich Iudin (1903-1941) was a Vitebsk native who joined UNOVIS with Malevich and later studied at VKHUTEMAS, then worked in the Theoretical Dept of GINKhUK (State Institute of Art Culture), also with Malevich. Overlooked by historians, Iudin was an important artist contributing to the avant-garde art world of the early Soviet era. Vvedenskii (1904-1941) was a key figure, along with Daniil Kharms, in forming the most extreme and last avant-garde movement in Soviet Russia known as OBERIU. Outside of their writings for children s books all of their work was suppressed, leaving this to be their only outlet to work with relative safety, and then only for a time. Vvedenskii allegedly couldn t stand children, but nevertheless produced some of the best children s books in Russian literature. Worldcat locates three holdings in North America (Harvard, Columbia, Univ Chicago). This copy very good. An important document. This copy trimmed 1x2 cm. affecting some images, and priced accordingly.
Alexandre Roubakine, Natalia Gontcharova illus; Wladimir Berelowitch, tr.
Small quarto 22.5x15 cm., wrappers, 158pp. Second expanded edition of this legendary book originally published in 1920. The first edition was only in Russian and had a limitation of 300. It is scarce and copies on the market fetch high prices. This edition is translated into French by Wladimir Berelowitch, with essays by Nancy Perloff, Lucie Nicolas-Vullierme, Susan Solomon, Wladimir Berelowitch. Not only a reprint edition of the original Russian edition of 1920, it also includes scholarly and biographical perspectives, including numerous photos and documentation. This trade edition has never been released publicly. To date there are no library holdings for this edition.
Octavo 18x12 cm., wrappers, 215pp. Constructivist cover by Beno Goreziani (1894-1975). Galaktion Tabidze, known in Georgia as Galaktioni, was one of the countrys most influential poets of the 20th century, referred to as the King of Poets and Galactic Galaktion by admirers. He is the cousin of Titsian Tabidze (1895-1937), a popular poet in Russian translation due to Pasternaks exquisite translations. Unlike Titsian who was shot in 1937, Galaktion survived the purges but years of pressure from authorities drove him to alcoholism, mental illness and eventual suicide. The Epoch (or Era) was first published in Mnatobi, the literary magazine he founded in 1924, in installments, and the author considered it one of his most important works. This present work was supposed to be the stand-alone complete work. However, it suffers from heavy editing beyond the poets control, and he was unable to restore the original lines because parts of the manuscript was lost. While he was unhappy with the result, he never expressed displeasure at the book design. Book artist Beno Goreziani was a member of the H2SO4 collective and is considered a major force in its time of experimentation in print. Rare, with no institutional holdings found worldwide. A near fine copy
Alexandre Roubakine, Natalia Gontcharova illus; Wladimir Berelowitch, tr
Small quarto, cloth, 158pp., slipcased. Second expanded edition of this legendary book originally published in 1920. The first edition was only in Russian and had a limitation of 300 copies. It is scarce and copies on the market fetch high prices. This edition is translated into French by Wladimir Berelowitch, with essays by Nancy Perloff, Lucie Nicolas-Vullierme, Susan Solomon, Wladimir Berelowitch. Not only a reprint edition of the original Russian edition of 1920, it also includes scholarly and biographical perspectives, including numerous photos and documentation. This is a bibliophile edition of 150 numbered copies. It has never been released publicly. This is the deluxe edition which is printed on finer paper and comes with a nice slipcase.
V. Perel'man, P. Sokolov-Skalia, V. Gochilkin, Dmitry Moor, A. Deineka, eds.
Quarto 30x21.5 cm, original wrappers, 34pp. Cover design by V. Stenberg. Richly illustrated art journal, published near the end of the first Five-Year Plan, this is one of the last attempts to recover the art of the revolution and experimental era, which would yield to the dominance of Socialist Realism. This copy has a few light stamps, 2cm. bottom trim; interior tight and clean.
Aleksandr Strelkov
Octavo 17.6x13 cm., wrappers, 30pp. 5000 copies. A survey of the art movement Mir Iskusstva which flourished from 1898 by art students in St. Petersburg with the intent to upgrade the level of Russian art from the low standards prevailing in the narrow nationalist Peredvizhniki (Wanderers) and introduce a Neo-Romanticism mixed with greater imaginative fairy tales, mystery and fantasy and open to an internationalist scope. This gave rise to a journal by the same name, financed by Bakst, Benois, and Diaghilev and the manifold contributions that arose under this banner. With 9 illustrations by Konstantin Somov, Alexandre Benois, Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, Leon Bakst, Ivan Bilibin, Alexandre Benois. Strelkov (1896-1939) was an art historian and archeologist who specialized in Central Asia, Iran, Hellenism and Egypt. He was arrested in the purges and executed in 1939. Published under the auspices of the series Iskusstvo. Near fine copy.
