Pioneers of Soviet Architecture [Hardcover]

S. O Khan-Magomedov (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The years between 1917 and 1932 marked a fertile period in Soviet architecture. Drawing from revolutionary ideas and from painting and sculpture, architects like Melnikov, Leonidov, and the Vesnins worked with their new state to change man by reordering the environment. The architecture is unmatched in vitality and creativity. This study is the most comprehensive to date. Although the text is leaden stylistically, with over 1500 illustrations, including rare plans and photographs, Pioneers of Soviet Architecture will be an invaluable sourcebook for students of history, politics, and architecture. H. Ward Jandl, National Park Service, Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Russian

Product Details

• Hardcover: 618 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli (January 15, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847807444
• ISBN-13: 978-0847807444
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 10.1 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,753,049 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW, what an awesome collection of work, February 28, 2002

By 

Victor Smith (Sunny Pasadena) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pioneers of Soviet Architecture (Hardcover)

This is THE book to have on the Russian Avant-Gard and the Constructivism movement. It covers all phases of the movement from prior to the October revolution to Post-Stalinism and rediscovery. It addresses all the varied schools of thought and the various architects that collectively made up the Constructivism and Suprematism Movements. This book has THE single BEST COLLECTION OF PHOTOS AND PLANS OF ANY BOOK of this subject. If you can find this book BUY IT. Do not hesitate especially if your a student and this subject interests you. This should be a must for all Art and Architecture students.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Survey of Russian Constructivism, April 23, 2011

By 

Chuck - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pioneers of Soviet Architecture Hb (Hardcover)

I agree with the previous reviewer, this is the definitive book on modernist Russian architecture. I've always been fascinated with this topic, not only because the Russians took the modernist theories a few steps beyond their western European counterparts, but because they managed to get a fair amount of this outrageous stuff built. There's something about the audacity of the whole project, the creation of avant-garde palaces for the public and housing designed to restructure the nuclear family, that's compelling to me--added to it the drama lurking in the background, the impending obliteration of all this artistic exhuberance by Stalin's straightjacket conformism. This replaced the constructivists' free-wheeling utopian visions with the tyranny of the "official" style, a bombastic and sentimental neo-classicism. This book is insanely expensive now, but so many architecture books are high-priced these days. I'd almost recommend buying it anyway, despite the price, if you have any interest at all in this topic, because it's so well done. You won't find a better source.