VESNIN, Aleksandr (1883-1959) and others. Rabochi

VESNIN, Aleksandr (1883-1959) and others. Rabochie zhilishcha. Primernye Proekty [Housing for Workers. Examples of Projects].

Leningrad: Gosudarstvennaya Tipografiya, 1924. 18 pp., oblong folio (286 x 375 mm). 31 plates only (of 32, 20 printed in two colors). Text by E. V. Vilents-Gorovits and A. K. Ivanov. Original upper paper wrapper, blocked in red and brown to a design by Vesnin. Condition: lacking the final plate, light soiling to titles, old marginal dampstaining, particularly to the plates, lower outer corners of final 25 plates rounded or (in the case of the final 9 plates) restored; backstrip and lower cover replaced. very rare book of constructivist architectural plans for workers' housing. One of 3000 copies. With contributions by K. A. Grinberg, I. K. Ivanov, A. Ivanitskii, V. D. Kokorin, N. A. Kolli, B. A. Korshunov, E. I. Norvert, N. Chaiskovskii, S. E. Chernyshev and Vesnin's brother Leonid Aleksandrovich. Vesnin was a central figure in the Constructivist movement. He was also a painter and set designer. He married Liubov Popova, another proletarian artist who believed that art must serve the masses. He often worked with his brothers Leonid and Victor and was an early supporter of Le Corbusier's architecture. The book is a brilliant example of Constructivist architectural plans and drawings. The housing proposed in these blueprints was meant for as many as 250 workers living under one roof. The other plans include barracks, canteen and washing facilites. This book is extremely rare; OCLC lists only a copy in the library of the Getty Research Institute.

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