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[ADOLF STRAKHOV] Programa Mizhnarodn’oho konkursu na proekt pam’iatnyka T. Shevchenkovi u m. Kharkovi [i.e. The Program of the International Competition for the Monument of T. Shevchenko in the city Kharkiv]

Item #2724

Kharkiv: Proletarii, 1930. 101, [3] pp., 15 ills, including folding ones. In original wrappers with constructivist letterpress design. 25,8x19 cm. Pre-war stamps of the Armenian Union of the Artists in Yerevan. Later ex-libris of the Soviet book collector S. Bogomolov on the verso of the front cover. Small hole in the center of half-title. Otherwise very good. First and only edition. One of 1500 copies.

All the texts are printed in Ukrainian, Russian, German and French. Thus, the edition contains four programs, one for each language.

This cover design was no doubt inspired by Lissitzky’s magazine “Veshch” [Object; 1922]. It features the same geometric shapes and functionality of text arrangement. Despite the bold appearance, the design maintains a clear, legible structure that exemplifies avant-garde principles, including the use of contrasting colors and geometric precision. Both editions were published in several languages reflecting the international scope. However, in contrast to the magazine’s dynamic and asymmetrical layout, the book’s design is markedly static, evoking a sense of solidity and endurance – a visual echo of the proposed monument itself. This particular design was created by prominent Ukrainian designer Adolf Strakhov (Braslavsky; 1896- 1979). In the early 1920s, he mainly produced sharp caricatures and satirical drawings. Then he became known as one of the most prominent Ukrainian book and poster designers, developing socialist realism. Strakhov designed more than 250 books for the State publishing house of Ukraine. Among them were literary discussions, collections and crucial monographs. Most books he designed in the 1920s gained fame at that time but were banned in the 1930s, due to repression of many Ukrainian public figures, writers and artists. Later contributors became known as representatives of the Executed Renaissance. The competition jury included representatives from various ideological and cultural organizations, party officials, professors, as well as members of the Ukrainian avant-garde. The jury was chaired by G. Petrovsky. Other members included: N. Skrypnyk, People's Commissar of Education of the Ukrainian SSR; V. Furer, head of the Agitation and Propaganda Department of the Kharkiv District Party Committee; Y. Ozersky, a representative of the Shevchenko Committee; and V. Koryak, a professor at the Ukrainian Shevchenko Institute. Alongside them, there were Vadym Meller, Anatol Pertytsky, Mykola Khvylovy, Mykhail Semenko, Sergii Pylypenko. The programs themselves are followed by the bibliography. 27 works unite Shevchenko's works (mostly early-Soviet Kyiv editions), books about him, literature about his works and bibliographic sources. The edition includes inserts with portraits of Shevchenko, his death mask, photographs of the places in Kharkov where the monument was supposed to be erected, an aerial photo of the Tevelev Square area, as well as a plan of the area. The Taras Shevchenko Monument in Kharkiv, a city landmark, was created by sculptor Matvey Manizer and architect Iosif Langbard. Its ceremonial unveiling on March 24, 1935, came just nine months after Kharkiv lost its status as the capital of Soviet Ukraine.

Worldcat shows the only copy located in Florida International University.

Price: $2,000.00