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INVENTORY OF THE VKHUTEMAS COLLECTION, 1920-1929
950052
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Title: VKhUTEMAS collection
Dates: 1920-1929
Collection Number: 950052
Creator:
VKhUTEMAS (Art school)
Collector:
Kholodkov, Viktor
Extent:
circa 7 lin. ft.
Repository:
Getty Research Institute
Research Library
Special Collections and Visual Resources
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles, California 90049-1688
Abstract:
Papers and artwork from VKhUTEMAS (Higher Artistic-Technical Workshops), a state-sponsored school of design established in
Moscow. The materials span virtually the entire existence of VKhUTEMAS, from its founding in 1920 until 1929, a year before
it closed. The name of the school was changed to VKhuTEIN (Higher State Artistic and Technical Institute) in 1927. Papers
comprise student records, evaluations, and photographs, as well as brochures, administrative records, and school newspapers
that document VKhUTEMAS’s innovative curricula. The bulk of the collection contains drawings, paintings, photographs, experimental
books and other work created by students and professors.
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Language: Collection material in Russian
Open for use by qualified researchers.
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Library Rights and Reproductions
VKhUTEMAS Collection, 1920-1929, Research Library, The Getty Research Institute, Accession no. 950052.
The collection was assembled by Viktor Kholodkov, who left the Soviet Union in 1989. He purchased items directly from the
artists or their families. The Getty acquired the collection in 1995.
Teresa Morales processed and arranged the collection, and created the finding aid, from February to June 1996. The text of
S. O. Khan-Magomedov was utilized for the spelling of artists' names (
VHUTEMAS: Moscou, 1920-1930, 2 vols., Paris: Editions du Regard, 1990).
VKhUTEMAS, a school of design, was established in Moscow in 1920 by state decree. Initially modeled on the experimental Free
Workshops (SVOMAS) in Moscow and St. Petersburg, VKhUTEMAS changed its name to Higher State Artistic and Technical Institute,
or VKhUTEIN, in 1927-28. Part of the school's mandate was to serve as a specialized educational institution for advanced artistic
and technical training, preparing highly qualified master artists for careers in industry or education. A major achievement
of VKhUTEMAS was the three-tiered Basic Course. Students first developed studio art techniques, then incorporated them into
a specialized industrial/professional education. Augmenting this basic course were chemistry, physics, mathematics, geometry,
the theory of shadows, military training, scientific theory of color, a foreign language and the history of art. The archive
contains 7 linear feet of material organized in two series. Student diplomas, evaluation reports, identification cards and
newspapers comprise Series I., the smaller portion of the archive. Series II., the larger portion of the archive, contains
drawings, paintings and prints on paper and canvas, experimental books, photographs, textiles and porcelain, all of which
were produced for class assignments. Among these can also be found the work of VKHUTEMAS / VKHUTEIN professors.
Scope and Content of Collection
The VKhUTEMAS collection documents the work of some students and faculty members in attendance at the Higher State Artistic
and Technical Workshops in Moscow from 1920 - 1929. Examples in this collection, predominantly works on paper, are from assignments
in color theory, portraiture, still life, printmaking, graphic design, textile design and ceramics. Also included are photographs,
a number of books, eleven oil paintings, three woodblocks, two pieces of porcelain, five school newspapers and several administrative
documents.
Guiding the organization of the collection is the dealer's inventory, which arranges artwork alphabetically by artist's name
and by size of item regardless of medium. It also assigns each item an identification number, showsattribution of work, dates,
and provenance. This number displays in brackets for each item. The one divergence from the dealer's inventory is in the spelling
of artist's names. For accuracy and consistency in the spelling of names, the text of S. O. Khan-Magomedov (
VHUTEMAS: Moscou, 1920-1930, 2 vols., Paris: Editions du Regard, 1990) has been utilized.
Viktor Kholodkov, who left the Soviet Union in 1989, purchased this collection directly from the artists or their families.
Arrangement
The collection is organized in two series:
Series I. School and student documentation
Series II. Artwork
VKhuTEMAS (Art school)
VKhuTEIN (Art school)
Art schools
Art schools—Russia (Federation)—Moscow—History—20th Century