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GUSTAV G. KLUTSIS (1895-1944)
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RADIO-ORATOR / LENIN'S SPEECH (#2). Oil and pencil on canvas. 1922.
39x25 inches, 101x65 cm.
Condition A: minor staining in image. Framed. Double-sided.
Born in Latvia, Klutsis studied at the influential Svomas/Vchutemas art school under Malevitch and
Pevsner (1918-1922) and then went on to become a founding member of “October,” a group of artists
dedicated to serving the needs of the proletariat all over the USSR. Klutsis became the Soviet Union’s
most prolific photomontage virtuoso, designing emblematic posters to inspire the Communist cause
throughout the twenties and thirties. For the fifth anniversary of the Russian Revolution, Klutsis
began work on a design for street corner loudspeakers; kiosks that would broadcast Lenin's speeches to
passersby. Some of his kiosk designs also included film screens, making them multi-media hubs. Each
model he designed, with its different features, bears a conspicuous number, and Klutsis designed
upwards of eight such kiosks. Only very few were actually realized, and none were put into service.
The majority of his kiosk designs are much smaller than this painted version and are pencil-drawn. A
chart showing turnover of food carts in canteens for children is mounted on the verso of the canvas. A
label from the City Museum, Department of Social and Communal Hygiene affixed to recto.
[15,000/20,000]