Two Booklets with Covers Designed by Sergey Chekhonin:

• Власть Советов за десять лет 1917-1927 [Ten Years of Soviet Power, 1917-1927]. Leningrad: Издание Красной газеты, 1927. Russian (additional title page in French). The color cover, illustrations and decorated initial letters by Sergey Chekhonin.

A collection of articles published to mark a decade of the October Revolution, reviewing the achievements of the Soviet regime in various fields such as industry, commerce, education, health, culture and more. The articles are accompanied by 20 plates (including color plates) and numerous reproductions of illustrations and artworks, as well as photographs and portraits of prominent political and artistic figures from the period.

XXXV, 183, [4] pages + [20] plates (lacking one plate). 30.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Some stains and minor blemishes. One detached leaf. Loose gatherings. Stains, creases and small tears to margins of cover and spine.

MoMA 690.

• Октябрь в искусстве и литературе, 1917-1927 [October in Art and Literature, 1917-1927]. Leningrad: Издание Красной газеты, 1927. Russian. The color cover, illustrations and decorated initial letters by Sergey Chekhonin.

A collection of articles published to mark a decade of the October Revolution, dealing with the influence of the revolution on theater, cinema, literature, music, painting and art in the Soviet Union. The articles are accompanied by numerous reproductions of illustrations and artworks, posters, portraits of artists, concerts and theater performances illustrating the impact of the revolution on the visual arts.

85, [2] pages + errata slip tipped in to the last page. 24 cm. Good condition. Some stains. Stamp and inscription on back cover. Small tears, creases and wear to margins of cover and spine.

MoMA 785.

Sergey Chekhonin (Сергей Васильевич Чехонин; 1878-1936), influential Russian-Soviet graphic artist, painter, and ceramicist; member of the "World of Art" (Мир искусства) artistic movement, one of the developers of the idea of using porcelain ware for Soviet propaganda. After the 1905 revolution, he became involved in politics, grew closer to revolutionary circles, drew satirical caricatures for magazines, and began designing books.

In 1918-1923, he was the first artistic director after the October Revolution of the "State Porcelain Factory" (formerly the "Imperial Porcelain Factory"), which operated under the arts department of Narkompros – the People's Commissariat for Education, under Anatoly Lunacharsky. Chekhonin led a Constructivist design line that served the needs of the time under the new ideology. He was replaced by Punin and returned to the artistic management of the factory in 1925-1927.

As a graphic designer, he designed banknotes and stamps, and was involved in designing the flag of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. In 1928, he left Russia; lived in France and Germany, engaged in designing ceramic ware, stage sets, and books.