VKhUTEMAS (Art school)

Biographical/Historical Note

VKhUTEMAS, a school of design, was established in Moscow in 1920 by state decree. Initially modeled on the experimental Free Workshops (SVOMAS) in Moscow and St. Petersburg, VKhUTEMAS changed its name to Higher State Artistic and Technical Institute, or VKhUTEIN, in 1927-28. Part of the school's mandate was to serve as a specialized educational institution for advanced artistic and technical training, preparing highly qualified master artists for careers in industry or education. A major achievement of VKhUTEMAS was the three-tiered Basic Course. Students first developed studio art techniques, then incorporated them into a specialized industrial/professional education. Augmenting this basic course were chemistry, physics, mathematics, geometry, the theory of shadows, military training, scientific theory of color, a foreign language and the history of art. The archive contains 7 linear feet of material organized in two series. Student diplomas, evaluation reports, identification cards and newspapers comprise Series I., the smaller portion of the archive. Series II., the larger portion of the archive, contains drawings, paintings and prints on paper and canvas, experimental books, photographs, textiles and porcelain, all of which were produced for class assignments. Among these can also be found the work of VKHUTEMAS / VKHUTEIN professors.

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