El Lissitzky at Two Museums

The first wide-scale retrospective of El Lissitzky, one of the leading artists of the Russian and European avant-garde, is currently taking place as part of a joint project between the State Tretyakov Gallery and the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center.

El Lissitzky invented a new art movement, which he called ‘prouns’. ‘Proun’ is an abbreviation for the Russian phrase ‘innovation-establishing project’. In his ‘prouns’, he painted the most utopian and bold architectural ideas. El Lissitzky’s influence is still visible in contemporary book design, exhibition design, and photo art.

The exhibition consists of two parts and takes place at two venues at the same time – the New Tretyakov Gallery and the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center.

The Jewish Museum is showing early works by Lissitzky emphasizing his role as part of Jewish visual art’s revival and renewal. The exhibition includes book illustrations, posters, photo collages, photomontages, manuscripts, and documentary photographs.

The New Tretyakov is exhibiting the renowned prouns, as well as architectural projects, exhibition designs, paintings and graphic works.

The two parts of this exhibition reveal El Lissitzky as a universal artist: painter, book illustrator, designer, architect, and photographer.

Dates: November 16, 2017, — February 18, 2018

New Tretyakov, 10 Krymsky Val.
Opening hours: Tue, Wed, Sun 10 am – 6 pm; Thu, Fri, Sat 10 am – 9 pm; closed on Mondays.
Tickets: 200 – 500 roubles.

Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center, 11 Obraztsova Ulitsa, Building 11 A.
Opening hours: Sun – Thu 12 – 10 pm; Fri 10 am – 3 pm; closed on Saturdays.
Tickets: 150 – 500 roubles.

For more information and images, please visit the official exhibition website (in Russian).