Exhibition "Lyubov Popova:
Form - Color - Space"

Lyubov Popova (1889–1924) - painter, art theorist and designer, one of the “Amazons” of the Russian avant-garde, researcher, experimenter and founder of a new aesthetics of the early XX century; she is the only artist whom George Kostaki called by name, even though she was not personally acquainted with her. Lyubov Popova will become the main heroine of the new exhibition, which MOMus arranges within its walls - the Museum of Modernism - the collection of Costaki (Thessaloniki, Greece). The exhibition, called "Lyubov Popova: Form - Color - Space", will be open for visitors from October 12, 2019 to March 1, 2020.

Lyubov Popova began her journey in painting with the study of impressionism and Cezannism, with the development of new art forms and techniques; and if in her early works the influence of French Fauvism was noticeable, then later she herself would make a significant contribution to the formation of such directions as cubofuturism, suprematism and constructivism. Constructivist ideas, bearing the features of a recognizable style of the artist, are embodied in design solutions, graphic design, stage design, fabrics and costumes made according to her sketches. Popova’s creative heritage undoubtedly puts her on a par with the brightest creators of the Russian avant-garde. Popova was an excellent teacher, raising the quality of training at VKHUTEMAS to a new height, where she worked from 1921 until her untimely death in 1924.

The exhibition, which will be the first large-scale retrospective of the artist in the last 30 years, presents almost all works and archival materials - and this is more than 200 exhibits - in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, as well as unique works from private collections. In the new exhibition plan of the museum there are several exhibitions dedicated to the key figures of the Russian avant-garde, whose works are stored in the museum funds. This "Russian project" opens with the exhibition "Lyubov Popova: Form - Color - Space".

Curators: Maria Tsantsanoglu, Andrey Sarabyanov, Kristina Krasnyanskaya Junior curator: Angeliki Haristu

Lyubov Popova, chronology of life and work

1889 April 24th. Born in the village of Ivanovskoye in the Moscow province in the family of Sergei Maximovich Popov and Lyubov Vasilyevna Zubova. My father is an entrepreneur, owner of cloth factories and patron of the arts. The elder brother Sergey, the younger brother Pavel and the younger sister Olga.

1899 From the age of 11 he takes drawing lessons.

1902 Together with his parents he moved to Yalta. Studying at the Yalta women’s gymnasium.

1906 The family returns to Moscow, where the girl enters the gymnasium of S. A. Arsenyeva. For two years, attends pedagogical courses S. A. Alferova.

1907 Enters the drawing studio of S. Yu. Zhukovsky.

1908–1909 Takes lessons at the art school of Konstantin Yuon and Ivan Dudin. He meets with Alexander Vesnin, Lyudmila Prudkovskaya and Vera Mukhina.

1909 autumn. During a trip to Kiev, he visits the Cyril Church, painted by Mikhail Vrubel.

1910 Travels with his family in Italy. He studies the art of the Renaissance. Summer. In Pskov and Novgorod, he studies the Russian icon.

1911 Travels to old Russian cities. Together with Lyudmila Prudkovskaya organizes a studio in Moscow.

1912 Moves to the Tower studio under the direction of Vladimir Tatlin, located on the Kuznetsk bridge in Moscow. The artists Ivan Aksyonov, Victor Bart, Alexey Grishchenko, Kirill Zdanevich also work there. He makes friends with Nadezhda Udaltsova. Acquaintance with the collection of Sergei Shchukin awakens in the artist an interest in French painting, primarily in cubism and impressionism. November. Together with artists Nadezhda Udaltsova, Sofia Karetnikova and Vera Pestel, as well as her governess Adelaide Dege, she visits Paris. December. He enters the La Pallet Academy in Montparnasse, where he studies cubism in the studio of Henri Le Focognier, Jean Metzinger and Andre de Segonzac.

1913 In Paris, meets with Alexander Arkhipenko and Osip Zadkine. May. Together with sculptors Vera Mukhina and Boris Ternovets makes a trip to Brittany. Summer. Returns to Moscow, where he again works in the studio of Tatlin.

January 1914. Participates in the 4th exhibition of Jack of Diamonds in Moscow. March. Together with Vera Mukhina, Iza Burmeister and Adelaide Dege visits Paris. April June. Travels to cities of Italy. August. Settles in Moscow. In the same year, her apartment became a meeting place for artists and philosophers.

March 1915 Participates in the exhibition "Tram B" in Petrograd. December. In Petrograd, he participates in the last futuristic exhibition of paintings “0, 10”.

1916 Takes part in the "Shop" exhibition in Moscow. April. Together with his family he goes to Samarkand. May. A trip to Birsk. Joins the group of Kazimir Malevich “Supremus” and an artel in the village of Verbovka; creates an emblem for the magazine of the new art society. November. Participates in the 5th exhibition of Jack of Diamonds. December. Participates in the exhibition "Contemporary Russian Painting" in the art bureau of N. E. Dobychina in Petrograd.

1917 Creates drawings for fabric for Natalia Davydova (artel “Verbovka”).

March 1918 Marries art historian Boris von Eding. May. He takes part in the first exhibition of paintings by the Professional Union of Artists of Moscow in Moscow. November. The birth of a son.

April 1919 Participates in the 10th state exhibition "Pointless Creativity and Suprematism". Summer. A trip to Rostov-on-Don. Von Eding is dying of typhoid. Popova also suffers from a serious illness, but is recovering. November. Return to Moscow.

1920 may. Starts working at the Institute of Artistic Culture (INHUK). November. He becomes a teacher at VKHUTEMAS, where, together with Alexander Vesnin, he leads a workshop dedicated to color. He creates scenography and costumes for the play “Romeo and Juliet” directed by Alexander Tairov for the Moscow Chamber Theater.

January 1921 - March. Participates in a discussion about the relationship between composition and design at INHUK. Together with Vesnin, he takes part in the festive decoration of the mass action “Fight and Victory” according to the plan of Vsevolod Meyerhold. He teaches at GITIS headed by Meyerhold. September. Gives five paintings to the exhibition 5 × 5 = 25 in Moscow. Together with Alexander Rodchenko and other teachers of INHUK, he signs a manifesto about the end of easel painting. Passes to the so-called "production" art - drawings for fabric, porcelain, design of books and theatrical productions.

1922 Designs the play “The Magnanimous Cuckold” directed by Vsevolod Meyerhold. October. He takes part in the First Russian art exhibition in the Van Diemen Gallery in Berlin.

1923 Designs scenography and costumes for the performance of Vsevolod Meyerhold "Earth on end". Moves to the Faculty of Production of VKhUTEMAS, where he teaches graphic design and scenography. Together with Vesnin makes a trip to the Caucasus. Together with Varvara Stepanova, she creates sketches of fabrics and clothes for the First Print Factory.

1924 May 22. Son Popova dies of scarlet fever. May 25th. Having become infected by her son, the artist herself dies of scarlet fever. 21 December. The opening date of the posthumous exhibition of artist-designer A.S. Popova, organized by Alexander Vesnin and Ivan Aksenov, has been announced.