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Home>Research>Library>Image Collections>Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow

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# Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow

In the early 1920s, political developments in the newly established Soviet Union created an environment for radical innovation in architectural design. Many of the designs remained on paper, but by 1925 a number of large-scale experimental projects were undertaken despite severe limitations on engineering technology. The parallels with avant-garde movements elsewhere in Europe and in the United States led to an international exchange of ideas in the realm of architectural theory.

The most significant manifestation of Soviet avant-garde design in the 1920s was constructivism, represented by the Organization of Contemporary Architects. “Constructivism” has since been used as a general designation for modernist architecture in the Soviet Union, although there were prominent avant-garde architects such as Konstantin Melnikov who rejected the label. In the early 1930s, the Soviet regime replaced modernism with conservative design approaches based on historicist models such as neoclassicism. Nonetheless, certain constructivist projects continued until the late 1930s. This selection of photographs provides an overview of some of the most important examples in Moscow, the center of Soviet avant-garde architecture.

The following views are from a collection of nearly 149,000 digital images, negatives, and photographs of Russia donated by the scholar and photographer William Craft Brumfield.

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Vladimir Shukhov, Shukhov Radio Tower, 1920–1922. Color slide, 1994, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
David Kogan, Artur Loleit, et al., Mosselprom Building, 1925. Original building by Nikolai Strukov, 1913. Color slide, 1996, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Boris Velikovskii, Gostorg Building, 1925–1927. Digital image, 2018, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Boris Velikovskii, Gostorg Building, 1925–1927. Digital image, 2018, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Grigorii Barkhin, Izvestiia Building, 1925–1927. Color slide, 1984, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Moisei Ginzburg, Gosstrakh (State Insurance Company) Apartment Building, 1926. Color slide, 1994, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Konstantin Melnikov, Leyland Bus Garage, main facade, 1926–1927. Color slide, 1994, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Konstantin Melnikov, Leyland Bus Garage, back facade, 1926–1927. Photograph, 1994, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Konstantin Melnikov, Leyland Bus Garage, interior, 1926–1927. Photograph, 1994, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Ilia Golosov, Zuev House of Culture, 1927–1929. Color slide, 1980, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Ilia Golosov, Zuev House of Culture, 1927–1929. Color slide, 1980, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Moisei Ginzburg and Ignatii Milinis, Apartment House of People’s Commissariat of Finance (Narkomfin), Moscow River facade, 1928–1930. Color slide, 1980, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Moisei Ginzburg and Ignatii Milinis, Apartment House of People’s Commissariat of Finance (Narkomfin), main facade, 1928–1930. Color slide, 1984, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Moisei Ginzburg and Ignatii Milinis, Apartment House of People’s Commissariat of Finance (Narkomfin), side view, 1928–1930. Color slide, 1984, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Moisei Ginzburg and Ignatii Milinis, Apartment House of People’s Commissariat of Finance (Narkomfin), side view, 1928–1930. Color slide, 1994, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Moisei Ginzburg and Ignatii Milinis, Apartment House of People’s Commissariat of Finance (Narkomfin), interior, main corridor, 1928–1930. Color slide, 1984, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Moisei Ginzburg and Ignatii Milinis, Apartment House of People’s Commissariat of Finance (Narkomfin), service building, main facade, 1928–1930. Color slide, 1984, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Le Corbusier, Tsentrosoiuz Building, auditorium wing (left) and office block, 1928–1936. Digital image, 2018, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Le Corbusier, Tsentrosoiuz Building, main facade, 1928–1936. Color slide, 1979, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Ivan Nikolaev, Student Village (Dom kommuna on Ordzhonikidze Street), dormitory, 1929–1930. Digital image, 2018, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Ivan Nikolaev, Student Village (Dom kommuna), dormitory, main facade, right corner, 1929–1930. Digital image, 2018, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Ivan Nikolaev, Student Village, courtyard view, Sanitation Block (left) and Instruction Block entrance, 1929–1930. Digital image, 2018, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Ivan Nikolaev, Student Village, Sanitation Block, interior, rampway, 1929–1930. Color slide, 1994, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Interior view of rampway between dormitory and Sanitation Block. Like Le Corbusier (in the Tsentrosoiuz Building), Nikolaev preferred ramps to stairs as a passage, in this case linking two of the main components of his Student Village for the Textile Institute.

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Ivan Nikolaev, Student Village, Social Block, 1929–1930. Digital image, 2018, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Ivan Nikolaev, Student Village, Instruction Block, back facade, 1929–1930. Digital image, 2018, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Konstantin Melnikov house, view from Krivoarbatskii Lane, 1927–1929. Digital image, 2018, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Konstantin Melnikov house, back view, 1927–1929. Digital image, 2018, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Konstantin Melnikov house, living room, front window, 1927–1929. Digital image, 2018, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Konstantin Melnikov house, living room, front window, 1927–1929. Digital image, 2018, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Konstantin Melnikov, Truck Garage, Novoriazanskaia Street, 1929. Digital image, 2018, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Konstantin Melnikov, Gosplan Garage, 1936. Digital image, 2018, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Konstantin Melnikov, Svoboda Factory Club, 1929. Digital image, 2018, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Konstantin Melnikov, Svoboda Factory Club, back facade, 1929. Digital image, 2018, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Konstantin Melnikov, Dorkhimzavod Club, 1929. Digital image, 2018, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Konstantin Melnikov, Kauchuk Factory House of Culture, 1929. Digital image, 2018, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Konstantin Melnikov, Kauchuk Factory House of Culture, 1929. Digital image, 2018, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Konstantin Melnikov, Rusakov House of Culture, 1929. Digital image, 2018, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Konstantin Melnikov, Rusakov House of Culture, side facade, 1929. Color slide, 1980, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Semyon Pen, Red Proletarian Printing Plant Club, 1930. Digital image, 2018, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Panteleimon Golosov, Pravda Building. Architect, 1930–1934. Color slide, 1990, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Alexander Vesnin, Viktor Vesnin, and Leonid Vesnin, Likhachev Factory Palace of Culture, 1930–1937. Color slide, 1994, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Alexander Vesnin, Viktor Vesnin, and Leonid Vesnin, Likhachev Factory Palace of Culture, interior, main vestibule, 1930–1937. Photograph, 1994, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow
Ivan Fomin, People’s Commissariat of Transportation Building, 1932–1938. Color slide, 1994, copyright William Craft Brumfield

Click on a slide above to view a larger image and detailed description (43 images total)

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Research in the CollectionPolicies and Procedures (PDF 123KB)Copyright Information

Travels Across Russia: Ekaterinburg

Travels Across Russia: Murom

Travels Across Russia: Torzhok

Travels Across Russia: 1889

Travels Across Russia: Avant-Garde Architecture in Moscow

Travels Across Russia: Oranienbaum

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