The All-Union Polygraphic Exhibition – A Guide Designed by El Lissitzky and Solomon Telingater – Moscow, 1927

The All-Union Polygraphic Exhibition – A Guide Designed by El Lissitzky and Solomon Telingater – Moscow, 1927

Всесоюзная полиграфическая выставка – путеводитель [All-Union Polygraphic Exhibition – guide]. Moscow, 1927. Russian. Design: El Lssitzky and Solomon Telingater.
A guide for the All-Union Polygraphic Exhibition which was held in Moscow in 1927. The exhibition, marking the 10th anniversary of the October Revolution, was meant to show the achievements of the USSR in the fields of book design and printing. It displayed works by various graphic artists; the divisions of the exhibition were dedicated to Russian publishing houses, to polygraphic schools, to printing technologies and more. The exhibition designer was El Lissitzky.
The guide, designed by El Lissitzky and Solomon Telingater, is divided into seven sections; each section has a separate title page with a photograph from the exhibition. The first section includes an introduction by El Lissitzky. The other six sections are dedicated to the various divisions of the exhibition and contain lists of exhibits and additional information. The upper margins of the leaves of each section are trimmed at different heights to simplify browsing through the guide.
Multiple paginations. Approx. 17 cm. Good condition. Stains. Creases, closed and open tears to margins. Stained and worn cover, with creases and open tears along edges and spine.
Not in NLI.

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El (Eliezer Lazar Markovich) Lissitzky (1890-1941), a Jewish-Russian artist, designer, photographer, teacher, typographer and architect, one of the most prominent and important members of the Russian avant-garde.

Lissitzky, an architect by training, contributed much, together with his teacher and friend Kazimir Malevich (see items 255-257), to the conceptualization and development of the Suprematism movement – the abstract art focused on geometric forms. He also designed numerous books and journals, exhibitions, and propaganda posters for the communist regime in Russia and influenced the Bauhaus and Constructivist movements in Europe. In his early days, Lissitzky showed much interest in the Jewish culture and many of his works integrated Jewish motifs (during the years 1915-1916, he took part in the ethnographic expedition headed by S. An-sky to various Jewish settlements). Wanting to promote Jewish culture in Russia after the revolution, he became engaged in designing and illustrating Yiddish children's books, creating several children's books which are considered pioneering masterpieces due to their graphics and typography (see for example, the series of children's book he illustrated in 1919, items 234-236, as well as additional children's books he illustrated, items 237, 241). However, several years later, he abandoned the Jewish motifs in favor of developing a more abstract and universal artistic language.

In 1921, Lissitzky moved to Germany, where he served as the Russian cultural ambassador, engaged in forming connections between Russian and German artists and continued to design books and journals; there he also created some of his most well-known works in the field of book design, including the issues of the journal "Veshch/Gegenstand/Objet", which he founded together with the writer Ilya Ehrenburh (see item 244 and item 249) and a volume of poetry by Vladimir Mayakovsky (see item 245 and item 250).

Lissitzky, who perceived books as immortal artifacts, "monuments of the future" by his definition, used the medium as a tool for spreading the messages of avant-garde and his artistic perception, as indicated by the variety of books in whose design, production or illustration he took part – beginning with children's books and books of poetry (see items 242 and 243) and ending with catalogs, guidebooks and research books (see items 246 and 248).

Lissitzky died in Moscow at the age of 51. In his final years, his artistic work was dedicated mainly to soviet propaganda; yet it seems that the same worldview accompanied his works throughout his life – the belief in goal-oriented creation (Zielbewußte Schaffen, the German term he coined) and the power of art to influence and bring about change.