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Ivanov, Konstantin Konstantinovich

Иванов, Константин Константинович

Born 1921, Petrograd (St. Petersburg), Soviet Russia; died 2003 Moscow, Russia

Konstantin Konstantinovich Ivanov received his initial art instruction from his father, the noted graphic artist Konstantin L. Ivanov. Formal instruction began in 1933 when Konstantin Konstantinovich attended an art school in Leningrad. It was from that point on that he dedicated his life to graphic design.

During World War II, Konstantin Ivanov served on the front line while contributing to posters designed by the TASS (Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union) Studios. In 1949, he began professionally exhibiting in art exhibitions.  In 1956, he was one of the co-founders of the poster collective Agit-plakat, an organization rooted in the artistic tradition of the posters created by ROSTA (Russian Telegraph Agency) and TASS. Agit-plakat posters were unique for their use of political caricature and satirical texts. Ivanov was subsequently a part of the younger post-Stalinist generation of artists that adopted avant-garde elements of Polish art with experimental nuances taken from Socialist Realism that was developed in the USSR. For his posters, he won a myriad of prizes in international competitions including gold medal honors in Bologna, Italy in 1968. Having been commissioned by Reklamfilm, Moskontsert and Soyuzgostsirk; Konstantin Konstantinovich Ivanov was also noted for his film, theater and circus posters.

Sources & Citations

Groys, B., Hollein, M. (2003). Dream factory Communism: The visual culture of the Stalin era. Ostfildern-Ruit: Hatje Cantz.
Konstantin Ivanov. (1979). Pokazyvayut plakatisty Pribaltiki Tvorchestvo, no. 5, 4-7.
Konstantin Ivanov. (1973). Agitplakat vsegda na peredovoi: K 20-letiyu osnovaniya odnoimennoi organizatsii Moskovskogo otdeleniya Soyuza khudozhnikov. Tvorchestvo, no. 3, 13-14.
Ivanov, K. K. (1965). Veter s moria: Karel'skii vpechatlenia. Moskva: Sovetskii khudozhnik.
Baburina, N. I. (1988). The Soviet Political Poster, 1917-1980. New York: Penguin. (bio, artist)