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[KLUTSIS’ LATVIAN ROOTS] Group photograph of G. Klutsis (on the right), V. Anderson, A. Drevin, K. Veidman.

Item #627

[1920s]. 11,5x16,5 cm. Restored with scotch tape tear, some soiling, captions on the
back (pencil).
Extremely rare photograph of Latvian representatives of the Russian avantgarde.
Gustav Klutsis was born in Latvia in 1895. After the art school, he was
drafted into the army, and in 1917 he volunteered for the team of machine gunners of
the 9th rifle Latvian regiment; member of both revolutions.
On this photograph, he is depicted together with his fellow Latvian artists
with whom he was also connected through VKhUTEMAS. Vladimir Anderson (Anders; 1891-1938), Soviet painter, VKhUTEMAS alumnus, member of AKhRR and of Latvian
labour art commune. Alexandr Drevin (Drevin’sh; 1889-1938), Soviet painter, a
professor at VKhUTEMAS, member of art group ‘Thirteen’. Karl Veideman (1897-1938),
Soviet painter, graphic artist, VKhUTEMAS alumnus, member of AKhRR and art group
‘Bytie’.
These artists were involved in the Latvian Educational Society ‘Prometheus’
which operated in the Soviet Union from 1929 to 1936 and was the largest
organization uniting the Latvian population of the USSR. Prometheus was engaged
in the conduct of ‘‘cultural and educational work among Latvians living in the USSR,
through the dissemination of literature mainly in Latvian”, it had its own publishing
house, printing house, bookstore. Given the small number of Latvian population in
the USSR, as well as their relatively low degree of integration into Soviet society, the
Soviet government did not appreciate the high activity of the society. (However, a more
important fact was probably that the company had extensive property which the state
took once the society was eliminated.) All artists on this photograph were executed
in 1938 by the Soviet government most probably because they were connected to
Prometheus and allegedly to ‘‘сounter-revolutionary fascist terrorist organization’’.

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