Collection: El Lissitzky

Lazar Markovich Lissitzky, known as El Lissitzky, was a Russian painter, typographer, and designer, born in Pochinok, near Smolensk, in 1890 and died in Moscow in 1941. He was a significant figure of the avant-garde, contributing to the development of suprematism with Kazimir Malevich and pioneering nonrepresentational art. His career also encompassed illustration, printmaking, photography, and architecture.

Lissitzky developed his own variant suprematist series, known as Proun, which he considered a transitional space between painting and architecture. His work demonstrated innovations in typography, advertising, and exhibition design. Early in his career, he illustrated Yiddish children's books to promote Jewish culture, later expanding into photomontage and book design. His 1924 work, "Self-Portrait : Constructor," exemplifies his engagement with these diverse media.

Lissitzky's belief in the artist as an agent of social change guided his extensive career. He maintained a teaching career for most of his life, spreading and exchanging ideas, and served as a cultural ambassador for Russia in Weimar Germany. He designed numerous exhibition displays and propaganda works for the Soviet Union, producing one of his last works in 1941 as a Soviet propaganda poster rallying tank construction. His work significantly influenced the Bauhaus, Constructivism, and De Stijl movements.