Blast From The Past - classic Soviet space propaganda posters

[Rogue Trader]

Up for Bids: Classic Soviet Space Propaganda Posters

By ​

Betsy Mason

April 20, 2012

Science and communism are inseparable! That is the basic message of this amazing collection of Soviet space propaganda posters that will be auctioned off on Apr. 22.

Featuring Yuri Gagarin and Gherman Titov, the first and second humans to reach space, along with Krushchev, and of course Lenin, these posters glorify the the Soviet Union's technological prowess and importance in the world, and in the universe. Many of the posters focus on the role the workers played in the space race, and the ordinary citizen's duty to feel immensely proud of Mother Russia's accomplishments.

The posters have messages such as "Comrades! Soviet Land Has From Now On Become the Shore of the Universe!" or "The Tenth Planet Symbolizes the Victory of Communism!" and "Be Proud, Soviet, You Opened a Path from the Earth to the Stars!"

One of my favorites is "Lenin Is With Us, Immortal and Majestic, the Thoughts, Words and Deeds of Ilyich Are Propagating Through the Universe.

"The estimated values of the posters range from $400 to $1,500, and for some of these, I think that is a bargain. If you'd like to hang one of these posters on your wall, check out the auction online. (Space-themed posters are toward the end of the list.)

Bidding starts at 10 a.m. PDT on Apr. 22 by Mercer & Middlesex Auctions.​

 

[Rogue Trader]

The Path For Humans Is Now Cleared, 1960

Lot 122

Artist: Konstantin Ivanov (1921-2003)

Size: 87 x 58.5 cm.

Estimated Value: $400-$600


This poster should be of considerable interest to collectors interested in the history of space exploration, as it marks an important milestone. "Space dogs" Belka and Strelka became the first leaving creatures to survive an orbital flight. (They actually share this distinction with an unnamed rabbit and many mice, rats and flies that were also the part of the Sputnik-5 experiment.)

 

[Rogue Trader]

Be Proud, Soviet, You Opened a Path from the Earth to the Stars! 1962


Lot 146


Artist: Mikhail Soloviev (1905-1991, Meritorious Art Worker of the Russian Federation)


Size: 86.5 x 56 cm.


Estimated Value: $600-$800


Originally an easel and Monumentalist painter, Mikhail Soloviev turned to producing posters in 1941 when his teacher and patron Pavel Sokolov Skalya brought him to work for the TASS Windows operation. He continued to work as a political posterist after the war, and eventually became one of the principals of AgitPlakat, an artist collective / publishing house that specialized in propaganda posters.

 

[Rogue Trader]

The Road To the Stars Is Being Built by Communists! 1961


Lot 139


Photographer: V. Smetanin


Size: 83 X 51.6 cm.


Estimated Value: $800-$1,200


A photomontage poster based on the iconic Gagarin-Khrushchev photograph taken by photojournalist V. Smetanin.

 

[Rogue Trader]

We Are Born to Make a Fairy Tale Come True! 1960


Lot 128


Artist: Valentin Viktorov (1909-1981)


Size: 121.5 x 56.5 cm.


Estimated Value: $700-$900


After the Soviet Luna-1 rocket became the first manmade object to reach heliocentric orbit, it was dubbed “the Tenth Planet”. Viktor Ivanov was an important Soviet artist who worked in a variety of graphics genres. As a posterist, he won two State Prizes and numerous awards in international competitions.

 

[Rogue Trader]

The Tenth Planet Symbolizes the Victory of Communism! 1959
Lot 113
Artist: Viktor Ivanov (1909-1968, Meritorious Art Worker of the Russian Federation).
Size: 98.2 x 65.5 cm.
Estimated Value: $400-$600
After the Soviet Luna-1 rocket became the first manmade object to reach heliocentric orbit, it was dubbed “the Tenth Planet”. Viktor Ivanov was an important Soviet artist who worked in a variety of graphics genres. As a posterist, he won two State Prizes and numerous awards in international competitions.

 

[Rogue Trader]

Glory To the First Cosmonaut Yu.A. Gagarin! 1961


Lot 144


Artist: Valentin Viktorov (1909-1981)


Size: 87.5 x 58.5 cm.


Estimated Value: $800-$1,200


A fine Gagarin poster by Valentin Viktorov.

 

[Rogue Trader]

Lenin Is With Us, Immortal and Majestic, the Thoughts, Words and Deeds of Ilyich Are Propagating Through the Universe, 1960


Lot 120


Artist: Nikolai Dolgorukov (1902-1980, Meritorious Art Worker of the Russian Federation)


Size: 84.5 x 56.5 cm.


Estimated Value: $400-$600


Dolgorukov is one of the best-known Soviet political posterists.

 

[Rogue Trader]

Glory to October! 1960


Lot 127


Artist: Evgeny Soloviev (1910-1972)


Size: 99 x 66.5 cm.


Estimated Value: $400-$600


Inscriptions in the ornamental scrolls at the bottom of the October Revolution anniversary poster read, respectively, “October Proclaimed the Beginning of a New Era in the History of the Mankind,” and “The Country of October Brought the World into the Era of Space Exploration.”

 

[Rogue Trader]

Comrades! Soviet Land Has From Now On Become the Shore of the Universe! 1961


Lot 145


Artist: Vadim Volikov (1927-1989)


Size: 84 x 57.5 cm.


Estimated Value: $600-$800


As an art student in Leningrad, Volikov specialized in monumental decorative arts, mainly working in glass. Facing difficulty obtaining glass commissions, and needing a permanent source of income, he turned to producing propaganda posters.

 

[Rogue Trader]

Glory to the Conquerors of the Universe! 1961


Lot 143


Artist: Valentin Viktorov (1909-1981)


Size: 110 x 58 cm.


Estimated Value: $600-$800


Viktorov's publishers were apparently pleased with the artist's 1960 design (see lot 128), and asked for more. The artist's 1961 design contains references to Soviet probes that photographed the dark side of the Moon, starting with Luna-3 in 1959. For additional information on the artist, see lot 105.

 

[Rogue Trader]

Glory to the Soviet Scientists, Engineers, Technicians and Workers, 1959


Lot 117


Artist: Mikhail Soloviev (1905-1991, Meritorious Art Worker of the Russian Federation)


Size: 100.5 x 66.5 cm.


Estimated Value: $400-$600


This poster hails the two major Soviet achievements of 1959 -- the first successful Moon probe, Luna-2, and the launch of the world's first nuclear icebreaker, Lenin. Originally an easel and Monumentalist painter, Mikhail Soloviev turned to producing posters in 1941 when his teacher and patron Pavel Sokolov Skalya brought him to work for the TASS Windows operation. He continued to work as a political posterist after the war, and eventually became one of the principals of AgitPlakat, an artist collective / publishing house that specialized in propaganda posters.

A Soviet Man Is in Space! 1961


Lot 134


Artist: The Lesegri Collective


Size: 90 x 60 cm.


Estimated Value: $800-$1,200


The Lesegri Collective was formed in 1957 by three graphic artists: Boris Lebedev (1921-?), Leonard Sergeev (1926-?), and Mark Grinberg (1925-?). Much of their work came from the Znanie (Knowledge) Publishing House and its flagship popular science magazine. In addition to posters, the artists designed stamps, illustrated postal envelopes, and postcards for the Communications Ministry.

Science and Communism Are Inseparable, 1959


Lot 109


Photographer: Anatoly Antonchenko (1912-?)


Size: 98.5 x 68 cm.


Estimated Value: $600-$800


Antonchenko was a very productive poster artist. In the field of political propaganda, his main specialty was creating posters for Soviet holidays and to celebrate important Soviet achievements. Not surprisingly, many of his posters of late 1950s and early 1960s include references to the space exploration topic. In addition to political posters, Antonchenko also worked in advertising, producing several memorable Intourist posters.

 

[Rogue Trader]

Let Us Open the Way To Distant Worlds and Uncover the Secrets of the Universe! 1961


Lot 140


Artist: Nikolai Smolyak (1910-1963)


Size: 117 x 57 cm.


Estimated Value: $700-$900


Like many other important Soviet posterists of the period, Smolyak came to Moscow in 1930 after studying art at Saratov Technical Arts School. Originally, he produced film and advertising posters; by 1943, he rose to the important position of Chief Artist of the All-Union Trade Chamber, which meant that he was in charge of producing posters advertising Soviet exports abroad. He gradually migrated to propaganda art, and from 1950s on, worked mostly in this genre.

To Space! 1961 “emergency” poster for Titov's flight


Lot 131


Artist: R. Dementiev


Size: 88 x 69 cm.


Estimated Value: $700-$900


This poster was produced immediately after the Vostok-2 landing, possibly by adding the TASS communique text and Titov's portrait to a stock poster design kept for such emergencies. The formulaic inscription under the Gagarin's portrait mentions his Hero of the Soviet Union status; the inscription under Titov's portrait does not. One may argue that the poster was sent to the printer sometime between the day of Vostok-2 landing (Aug. 6, 1961) and the day when Titov became the Hero of the Soviet Union (Aug. 9, 1961). Actually, there is no need for such convoluted arguments -- the poster imprint contains the “signed into production” date. See also lot 137.

Let There Be Peace, 1959


Lot 116


Artist: Nikolai Litvinov (b. 1930)


Size: 103 x 68 cm.


Estimated Value: $600-$800


This poster proclaims Soviet support for the Peace movement, while simultaneously hailing the latest Soviet achievements in space exploration (the first Moon probe) and in the peaceful use of nuclear energy (the launch of the world's first nuclear icebreaker). This is probably the best-known Litvinov poster, remarkable in its economy of design. See also lot 123.

 

[Rogue Trader]

Glory To the Workers in the Field of Soviet Science and Technology! 1959


Lot 118


Photographer: Evgeny Soloviev (1910-1972)


Size: 98 x 68 cm.


Estimated Value: $600-$800


A poster by graphic artist Evgeny Soloviev.

Glory To the Sons of the Party! 1961


Lot 142


Photographer: A. Ustinov


Size: 73 x 54 cm.


Estimated Value: $1,000-$1,500


A desirable, seldom offered poster featuring a smiling Khrushchev flanked by Gagarin and Titov on the tribune of Lenin's Mausoleum.