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GUSTAV KLUTSIS (1895-1938)
52
●
[THE USSR IS THE SHOCK BRIGADE OF THE WORLD’S PROLETARIAT.] 1931.
56
1
/
2
x40
3
/
4
inches, 128
1
/
4
x103
1
/
2
cm. Izogiz, Moscow.
Condition B+: minor restored losses in margins and image; repaired tears, creases and overpainting in
margins and along vertical and horizontal folds; color attenuated. Two-sheets. Framed.
Born in Latvia, Klutsis studied at the influential Svomas/Vkhutemas art school under Malevich and
Pevsner, and then went on to become a founding member of “October,” a group of artists dedicated
to serving the needs of the proletariat throughout the USSR. Klutsis became the Soviet Union’s most
prolific photomontage virtuoso, designing emblematic posters to inspire the Communist cause
throughout the 1920s and 1930s. In 1938, despite his exceptional work for the cause, Stalin had
Klutsis arrested and executed along with other Latvians. This extremely powerful image utilizes
photomontage within a sophisticated layout and progressive typography, which conforms to angles in
the image. IVAM cover and p. 55, Power of Images p. 83, Clash of Ideologies p. 101, The Poster 221,
Klutsis / Strasbourg p. 109.
[10,000/15,000]