Exhibitions

1920-40s were, undoubtedly, most dramatic years in the history of Russian photography of XX century. The change of social system caused by the October take-over in 1917 brought about the ideology of social equality and justice.

The authorities assigned high priority to propaganda of these ideas and of their soonest possible realization. Their call for the building of the new world won the sympathies of young Russian intelligentzia for the Bolsheviks. Inspired by the «Art for the Masses» motto, young writers, painters, architects, film makers, stage directors and musicians started creating works that conformed, as they thought, with the ideas of the construction of Socialist society.

Photogrpahy, too, did not stand aside of this process. Already by the late 1920s - early 1930s, three main movements in Soviet photography established and found their leaders.

Art (or «salon») photography propagated by the Russian Photographic Society founded before the Revolution, continued within the tradition of European Pictorialist school and was considered by the critics as distinctly «bourgeois». The most known figures of the movement were Alexander Grinberg, Nikolay Andreyev, Vasiliy Ulitin, Nikolay Svishov-Paola, Petr Klepikov, Sergey Lobovikov, Yury Yeremin.

New Soviet press photographers who usually worked in political newspapers and magazines, called on to regard photo reportage as a weapon of class struggle and to propagate the achievements of industry, agriculture, new Soviet way of life. Most consistent advocates of «proletarian» photography were Arkadiy Shaykhet and Semyon Friedland.

The third, «left-wing» photographic movement was formed by the «Left Art Front» and the «October» artists group. Its most outstanding members were Alexander Rodchenko and Boris Ignatovich. They searched for new methods of dynamic vision on the base of constructive composition. Although extremely important for the development of photography's pictural language, this search did not save the artists from the attacks of Soviet critics. Accused of formalism, «October» group dissolved in late 1932.

The miserable result of the time was the eventual extinction of all three movements already by the mid-1930s. The Communist Party headed by Stalin conducted serious «purification» of ideological front and lay end to both «left-wing» and «right-wing» movements in Russian art. Russian Photographic Society was  dissolved in 1930 (before the close down of «October»), its leading members A.Grinberg and V.Ulitin were arrested as «socially dangerous elements». Arkadiy Shaykhet, too, could not evade unpleasant contact with NKVD (secret police), and the idea of «proletarian photography», as well as proletarian art in general, lost its topicality already by 1932.

By the late 1930s, the Russia art was completely overtaken by the idea of Socialist Realism. The short but very productive «epoch of optimism» that had emerged along the lines of post-revolution enthusiasm and sincere faith in the ideals of the bright future, was replaced by time of the Party's totalitarian control over all processes in the art life of the society.

The finale of the «epoch of optimism» in Soviet photography could be the victory over Fascist Germany in 1945. Photographers who went through the Patriotic War, saw and captured its victims and losses, received and showed Victory as a truly national triumph and a reason to hope for a better future. However, harsh postwar censorship, persecutions for the «fifth point» (nationality), country's isolation during the Cold War times did not help to bring this dream to life. Unfortunately, very few photographers from the first Soviet generation gained «second breath» in the postwar time.

Our exhibition presents three main movements in Soviet photography between the October Revolution and the end of the Second World War. Russian Pictorialist photography is represented by the works of Alexander Grinberg; Constructivist photography by the works of Alexander Rodchenko, Boris Ignatovich, Mikhail Prekhner; Soviet press photography by the works of Arkadiy Shaykhet, Emmanuil Yevzerikhin, Mark Markov-Grinberg, Georgy Petrusov, Yevgeniy Khaldey, Ivan Shagin.

Andrey Baskakov

Head of the Russian Union of Art Photographers

Director of FotoSoyuz Agency

Exhibition is provided by the Russian Union of Art Photographers

and FotoSoyuz Agency

Biographies of the authors:

Alexander Grinberg (1885–1979)

Classic of Russian (Soviet) Pictorial photography, Alexander Danilovich Grinberg was born in Moscow in 1885. He studied in the Moscow University, Department of Physics and Mathematics, and in Stroganov Art College. In 1907 Gringberg became member of the Russian Photographic Society (RFO) in Moscow, in 1912 – one of its directors. In 1909 Grinberg received his first golden medal at Dresden international exhibition. In 1914 Grinberg was employed as cameraman at Khanzhonkov film studio. His most known films are Arab's Descendant and Two Friends, Model and Girl. Grinberg took part in the First World War, spent several years in captivity in Germany. Upon his return he worked as cameraman at various film studios, including the one in Odessa.

From 1922 to 1930 Grinberg taught photographic composition in the State Film College (later renamed to Russian State Cinematography University), was a chairholder. In the same time period he taught at the Moscow Soiety of Professional Photographers and worked as cameraman at the First State Film Studio.

Alexander Grinberg's work was shown at the Art of Movement exhibitions (four exhibitions in 1925-1928); at international exhibitions in Tokio, Torino, Toronto, Paris. His life work (represented by 51 image) was presented in 1927 at the 10 Years of Soviet Photography exhibition.

In 1936, after his nude studies were exhibited (Masters of Soviet Art Photography, 1935), Grinberg was arrested and condemned by the Special Committee of NKVD (People's Comissariat of Internal Affairs) «for distribution of pornography». In 1939 he was let out early for his high-powered work at the construction works in BAMlag (Baikal-Amur Railroad labour camp) and started working as photographer in the museum of former Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra.

During the Second World War Grinberg stayed in Moscow and worked as portrait photographer. Later he taught at the courses for the wives of journalist photographers and in the studio of the Palace of Culture of Stalin Car Factory (ZIS) .

A.D.Grinberg died in 1979 in Moscow at the age of 94.

Emmanuil Yevzerikhin (1911–1984)

Emmanuil Noyevich Yevzerikhin was born in 1911 in Rostov-on-Don. Already as a 7th grade student he started working for the Rostov department of Soyuzphoto, the state agency that was responsible for providing Soviet press periodicals with illustrations. In 1932 Yevzerikhin was invited to Moscow to work as photographer for Soyuzphoto. He photographed at party congresses, at the VII Congress of Communist International, at the VIII All-Union Special Congress of Soviets that adopted the USSR Constitution. Still a young journalist photographer, Yevzerikhin made acquaintance with A.M.Gorky and M.I.Kalinin. It was not once that he photographed the famous pilots V.Chkalov, S.Levanevsky, well known heroes of labor, figures of the Soviet culture and art. He also worked in the republics of the Middle Asia and on Spitzbergen Island as participant of Polar expedition.

From 1942 on, E.Yevzerikhin was special war correspondent for TASS at a number of fronts, including Stalingrad front. He photographed in Warsaw, Koenigsberg, Prague. For his wartime achievements he was awarded the Patriotic War Order, the Red Star Order and a number of medals.

After the war E.Yevzerikhin continued working for Photokhronika TASS: he made images of factories, construction sites, everyday lives of common men, went on a trip to Altay. He made a series of photographs dedicated to famous artists. For many of his works he received medals and diplomas of All-Union exhibitions. On the occasion of the 50 years anniversary of TASS, Presidium of the Supreme Soviet granted Yevzerikhin certificate of merit for his long time work in the Soviet press.

The only personal exhibition that took part during his life was held in 1977 in the exhibition halls of Photokhronika TASS.

E.Yevzerikhin died in Moscow in 1984.

His retrospective exhibitions were shown in the Moscow Photocentre (1998, exhibition organized by his descendants), Moscow House of Photography (2004, as part of the Classics of Soviet Photography project), State Russian Museum (2007).

Anatoly Yegorov (1907–1986)

Anatoly Vassilyevich Yegorov was born in Moscow in 1907.

He started as photographer in the 1930s; he worked in Rabochaya Moskva (Working Moscow, now Moskovskaya Pravda) newspaper.

From the first day of the war he was in the front, worked for Frontovaya Illustratsiya (Front Illustration), for the Southern front newspaper Vo Slavu Rodiny (In Praise of the Motherland), kept commentary on the defense of Odessa. Later he was a special war photojournalist of Izvestiya (The News) newspaper: he photographed at the Stalingrad, Stepnoy, Second Ukranian fronts, made pictures of the liberation of Prague. At the end of the war Yegorov was in the Russia’s Far East. He was awarded the Red Star Order and two 2nd degree Patriotic War Orders, as well as several medals.

In the postwar time Yegorov worked in the Illustrirovannaya Gazeta (Illustrated Newspaper), Izvestiya (The News), Sovetskaya Rossiya (Soviet Russia), Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star) periodicals.

Yegorov died in Moscow in 1986.

Boris Ignatovich (1899–1976)

Boris Vsevolodovich Ignatovich was born in Lutsk (Ukraine) in 1899. He worked as a journalist from 1918. In 1921 he moved to Moscow to head the editorial office of Gornyak (Miner) newspaper.

In 1922-1925 he lived in Petrograd (now St.-Petersburg) and worked for comic magazines. This time period is also marked by his first interest in photography.

In 1926 he returned to Moscow and became one of the directors of Photographic Reporters Association at the Printing House. From 1927 he worked as photo editor and photo journalist of Bednota (The Poor) newspaper and contributed to Narpit (Public Nutrition) and Projector magazines.

In the 1930s B.Ignatovich headed the illustrations department of Vechernaya Moskva (Moscow Eve) newspaper. He was a participant of the October group of artists led by A.I.Rodchenko.

Before the war he worked for the Stroitelstvo Moskvy (Construction of Moscow) magazine.

During the Second World War Ignatovich worked as press photographer for the 30th Army front newspaper, Boyevoye Znamya (Battle Banner). He photographed guerilla actions in the enemy's rear.

After the war he worked in many magazines and publishing houses in Moscow.

The first large exhibition of Boris Ignatovich's work was held in 1969 in Moscow. His personal exhibitions were also held in Prague (1947), Belgrade (1949), Vilnius (1972).

B.V.Ignatovich died in Moscow in 1976.

His 100th anniversary was marked by a retrospective exhibition held in 2002 in the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts.

Georgy Lipskerov (1896–1977)

Georgy Abramovich Lipskerov was born in Moscow in 1896, into the family of a publisher. Already as a schoolboy he became known as a talented sportsman.

In the late 1920s he became interested in photography. Lipskerov worked as journalist photographer in Soyuzphoto, later in Photokhronika TASS . He photographed on Pamir and Kamchatka, in Kirghizia and Tadjikistan. From 1932 he was photographer of the special Maxim Gorky agitation squadron.  In 1935 he took part for the first time in an international exhibition, the XXX Salon of Photographic Art in Paris. In 1936 Izvestia (The News) newspaper published Lipskerov's feature about the Arctic flight of Farikh, Vodopyanov and Makhotkin to Vaygach island.

In the first days of the Second World War Lipskerov enlisted in the people's volunteer corps and took part in the battles outside Moscow. From 1942 he worked as photo correspondent of the 52th Army newspaper. In 1943 Lipskerov became member of the war documentalists group headed by Roman Karmen.

From 1946 on he was permanently employed as photographer by TASS, made photographs in Baykal region, the Baltic states, Transcarpathia. In 1956 he started his work as photography illustrator in Detskaya Literatura (Children's Literature) publishing house.

Georgy Lipskerov died in 1977 in Moscow.

In 1980, retrospective exhibition dedicated to the 45th anniversary of Georgy Lipskerov's work as photographer was held in the Central House of Journalist Photographers.

Mark Markov-Grinberg (1907–2006)

Mark Borisovich Markov-Grinberg was born in Rostov-on-Don on 7 November 1907.

In 1925 he worked as photographer for Sovetsky Yug (Soviet South) newspaper and as freelance correspondent for Ogonyok (Spark) magazine.

In 1926 he moved to Moscow, worked as photographer for trade union magazines and for Smena (Shift) magazine. In 1930 he received permanent employment by Press Cliché TASS (further Photokhronika TASS). Grinberg photographed the construction of Dneproges (Dnepr Hydro Electric Power Station), the establishment of first Soviet collective farms, made images of well known Soviet and foreign writers (Maxim Gorky, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Romain Rolland, Bernard Shaw), best miners (A.Stakhanov and N.Izotov), famous pilots (V.Chkalov, M.Gromov, V.Grizodoubova and P.Osipenko).

In early autumn of 1941 Markov-Grinberg was enlisted as a soldier. In July 1943 he was sent to work as photographer to the army newspaper Slovo Boytsa (Word of Warrior).

After the war Markov-Grinberg worked as photographer for Krasnoarmeyskaya Illustrirovannaya Gazeta (Red Army Illustrated Newspaper), later he was employed by the photography publishing office of the Soviet Union Agricultural Exhibition.

In 1957–1973 Markov-Grinberg worked for Klub i Khudozhestvennaya Samodeyatelnost (Club and Amateur Performance) magazine. He took part in many photography exhibitions in the USSR and abroad. Markov-Grinberg's works were exhibited in Australia, Germany, France, England, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Portugal, Yugoslavia, Singapore, Hungary and other countries.

Markov-Grinberg's personal ehxibitions were held in Moscow (1997, 2001) and Perpignan (France, 2002).

Honorary member of the Russian Union of Art Photographers, Markov-Grinberg died in 2006 at the age of 99.

Georgy Petrusov (1903–1971)

Georgy Grigoryevich Petrusov was born in Rostov-on-Don on 28 May 1903. In 1924 he moved to Moscow and started working as a journalist photographer, at first in trade union periodicals: Metallist, Rabochiy Khimik (Chemist Worker) and Trud (Labor) newspaper. Later he worked in Pravda (Truth) newspaper and Ogonyok (Spark) and Projector magazines. Petrusov headed the photography department at the construction of Magnitogorsk metallurgic combine (1929-1931).

As Pravda correspondent he photographed the XVI Congress of VKPB (All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks) in 1930 and the VIII All-Union Congress of Soviets in 1936.

From 1933 Petrusov was photographer for the SSSR Na Stroyke (Building the USSR) magazine, until its close-down in the beginning of the Second World War. He made special issues of the magazine: Building of Magnitogorsk Metallurgic Combine, Four Victories, Science in the USSR, Soviet Oil, Moscow Metro, Karelia, Gorky Car Factory, Black Sea Fleet, Soviet Cinema, Moscow-Volga Canal, Soviet Cossacks, Western Ukraine and Western Belarussia, Soviet Bessarabia, Armenia, The Red Army and others. During the Second World War Petrusov was special war correspondent for Sovinformbureau (institution responsible for information and propaganda) and Izvestia (The News) newspaper.

In 1945-1955 Petrusov worked in Iskusstvo (Art) publishing house creating monographic albums: Moscow, Moscow University, Bolshoy Theatre Ballet, Moscow Metro, to name a few.

From 1955 he photographed for Sovinformbureau, from 1961 for the Soviet Life magazine published by the Novosti news agency.

Petrusov was permanent participant of All-Union art photography exhibitions and international photographic fairs and exhibitions in Leipzig, Amsterdam, New-York, Prague, Paris, Charleroi, Antwerp, Preston, Ankara, Botson, Johannesburg, Zagreb and other places.

Georgy Petrusov died in Moscow in 1971.

Mikhail Prekhner (1911–1941)

Mikhail Prekhner was born in 1911 in Warsaw. In 1914 his family moved to Moscow. He was interested in photography already as a child, and upon graduation from school  (in 1928) decided to become professional photographer. Prekhner worked for the editorial offices of Radioslushatyel (Radio Listener) and Govorit Moskva (Moscow Speaking) magazines. In two years he started working for Soyuzphoto.

From December 1931 Prekhner worked on the creation of Izogiz albums: First Equestrian Army, Universities, The Red Army, Industry of Socialism and others. He received honorific mention from the publishing house for the work on the First Equestrian Army album which was mainly made up of his photographs.

In 1932 Prekhner started working for A.M.Gorky's magazine SSSR Na Stroyke (Building the USSR). He was the author of  the magazine's many special issues: The Red Navy, Buryat-Mongolia, Happy Age, Far East, Small Towns, Steel and other.

From 1933 on, M.Prekhner took part in all exhibitions of Soviet photography that were held abroad. In 1938 he received major silver medal of the International exhibition in Antwerp.

In summer 1941 Prekhner photographed war operations during defense of Tallinn. He died during the evacuation of Tallin military base to Kronstadt in  late  August 1941.

Alexander Rodchenko (1891–1956)

Alexander Mikhailovich Rodchenko was born in St.-Petersburg in 1891. He received secondary education in arts in Kazan where his family had moved to in 1902. From 1915 he lived in Moscow and studied in the Stroganov College of Art and Industry. In 1916 he started taking part in the most important Russian Avantgarde exhibitions and in architectural competitions. His texts All Is Experiment and Line manifest his views on art and the tasks of an artist. Rodchenko considered art a means of creation of new forms and opportunities. He regarded his own oevre as a great experiment field, with single works being its minimal elements. Beside painting and graphics he made three-dimensional constructions. In 1921 he summarized his achievements in painting and proclaimed the transition to «production art».

Rodchenko had first used photography for making images of his paintings. In 1923 he started experimenting with photo montage. He took pictures of his family members and friends and made a number of outstanding portraits, including the famous images of Vladimir Mayakovsky.

Rodchenko searched for new artistic methods in photography that would enable it to capture the new political and social reality in the USSR. This brought him to experimenting with unusual camera angles and perspective and low horizon, all of these to become hallmark of his work. Rodchenko was highly respected by other photographers. He became one of the founders and leaders of the innovation artists group October (1928) which included also Boris, Olga and Yelizaveta Ignatovich, Yeleazar Langman, Vladimir Gruenthal, Boris Kudoyarov, Georgiy Petrusov and others.

Despite Rodchenko's sincere attempts to make peace with the state policy, the official critique of his work became more and more harsh. In 1932 Rodchenko left October group and started working as photographer for Izogiz publishing house. From 1933 he worked (together with his wife and co-author V.Stepanova) as the designer for SSSR Na Stroyke (Building USSR) magazine, photographic albums 10 Years of Uzbekistan, First Cavalry Army, The Red Army, Soviet Aviation and others. Having been commissioned  a series of photographs on the construction of White Sea-Baltic Sea Canal, Rodchenko limited the use of unusual angles in favor of a more traditional front-face viewpoint.

Rodchenko was on the jury of and worked as designer for many photographic exhibitions, was member of the Presidium of the Photography Department of the Professional Union of Cinema and Photo Workers. In 1936 he took part in the Exhibition of the Masters of Soviet Art Photography. In the 1940s he returned to painting and was a member of MOSH (Moscow Organization of the Union of Artists of the USSR).

Alexander Rodchenko died in Moscow in 1956.

Mikhail Savin (1915–2006)

Mikhail Ivanovich Savin was born in Sasovo of Ryazan region in 1915.

In 1937–1938, during his military conscription in the Red Army of Workers and Peasants, he took correspondence course in photographic journalism at the Photokhronika TASS (Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union) agency. From 1939 he worked as journalist photographer for Photokhronika TASS, from 1940 as TASS personal correspondent in Belarussia. In March 1941 M.Savin became correspondent of Krasnoarmeyskaya Pravda (Red Army Truth) newspaper of the Western military district. Savin was in the field force from June 1941 as war correspondent and senior lieutenant. He saw the end of the war in Germany. During the war he was awarded medals “For Valor”, “For Victory over Germany”. In 1948 Savin took part in the first postwar exhibition, The Great Patriotic War in Art Photography (held in the Central House of Artists, Moscow).

From 1946 to 1992 Savin was one of the main photographers for Ogonyok (Spark) magazine. He published several albums of photographs, took part in many exhibitions in the Soviet Union and abroad, including exhibitions dedicated to the Second World War.

Savin was the Honored Cultural Worker of the Russian Soviet Republic, honored member of the Russian Union of Art Photographers. M.I.Savin died in Moscow in 2006.

Mikhail Trakhman (1918–1976)

Mikhail Anatolyevich Trakhman was born in Moscow in 1918.  In 1936, after graduation from school, he started working at a documentary film studio and attending courses to learn the profession of assistant cameraman. From 1938 he worked as journalist photographer for Uchitelskaya Gazeta (Teacher's Newspaper). In 1939 he was enlisted in the army to take part in the Soviet-Finnish War.

In 1941-1945 he worked as special journalist photographer for Sovinformbureau and Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star) periodical. He photographed the besieged Leningrad and Pskov and Belorussian advance lines. His most known photographs belong to his guerilla series and were made in the enemy's rear. Trakhman took part in the liberation of Poland and Hungary. He was awarded the Order of the Red Star and «For the Defense of Leningrad» and «Patriotic War Guerilla»  medals.

From 1946 Trakhman worked as journalist photographer for Ogonyok (Spark) magazine, from 1949 to 1957 for the photographic publishing house of VSHV – All-Union Economy Exhibition (VDNH of the USSR), in 1957-1959 for the Sovetsky Ekran (Soviet Screen) magazine.  He made portraits of cinema actors that were reproduced as postcards and sold in large quantities. In 1959-1976 he was special correspondent for Literaturnaya Gazeta (Literature Newspaper). Trakhman was the author of 14 photography albums and participant of many exhibitions. Mikhail Trakhman died in Moscow in 1976.

Yevgeny Umnov (1919 –1975)

Yevgeny Umnov was born in Moscow in 1919. After graduating from school, in 1938-1944 he studied in the Moscow Engineering and Construction Insitute (MISI), Department of Architecture.

While in evacuation in Novosibirsk, Umnov worked as journalist photographer for Sovetskaya Sibir (Soviet Siberia) newspaper. In 1943 he returned to Moscow and continued his studies in MISI; from 1947 on he was employed as photographer by the All-Union Society of International Cultural Liasons (VOKS).

From 1950 to 1975 Umnov photographed for Ogonyok (Spark) magazine. His photographs were published by APN (Agency of Political News), appeared in the magazines Sovetsky Soyuz (Soviet Union), Teatr (Theatre), Ballet, Sovetskoye Foto (Soviet Photo), Krestyanka (Peasant Woman) and others. They were commonly used at creation of photographic albums dedicated to the Russian ballet and to advertise the international tours of Bolshoy Theatre ballet and folk dancing groups. Umnov took part in and received awards of many photography exhibitions in the USSR and abroad.

Yevgeny Umnov died in 1975.

The retrospective exhibition of Umnov's work was held in 2010 in FotoSoyuz gallery, in commemoration of his 90-year anniversary.

Alexander Ustinov (1909–1995)

Alexander Vassilyevich Ustinov was born in Moscow in 1909. Having graduated from a seven-grade school, he changed several professions. In 1931 he entered the Camerawork Department of the State Cinema Institute. In 1933 he made his first famous photograph, Military Students at Voluntary Saturday Work. From mid-1930s he photographed for Machinostroyeniye (Mechanical Engineering), Gudok (Hooter), Krasny Voin (Red Warrior), Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star) newspapers. In early June 1941 he was hired by Pravda (Truth) newspaper.

During the Second World Was Ustinov was Pravda's war correspondent, photographing the battles outside Moscow, on Volkhov, Western, South-Western, Leningrad and Stalingrad fronts, as well as guerilla actions in the enemy's rear. He was at the meeting of the Soviet and American troops on Elbe in April 1945, took part in the liberation of Prague and the taking of Berlin.

In 1948 he was awarded first degree certificate of the Great Patriotic War in Art Photography exhibition.

In the postwar time, being one of the leading Pravda's photographers, Ustinov shot the official Kremlin chronicles; took pictures of the reconstruction of Dnepr Hydro-Electric Power Plant, the construction of Bratsk Hydro-Electric Power Plan and Aswan Dam. He accompanied official USSR delegations to foreign countries. Ustinov made photographs of Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Mao Zedong, Indira Gandhi, Yuri Gagarin, Valentina Tereshkova and other astronauts, as well as famous Soviet military commanders, artists, scientists, writers.

Alexander Ustinov is the author of over ten photographic albums and a book of memoirs. He took part in numerous exhibitions in the USSR and abroad. In 1966 his personal exhibition 25 Years of Work in Pravda was held in the Moscow House of Journalist Photographers. In 1982 another personal exhibition of his was held in the Union of Journalist Photographers, under the title 50 Years of Work in the Soviet Press. In 1975, the Union of Czechoslovakian Journalists organized Ustinov's personal exhibition, Slovak Uprisal of 1944 which was acconmpanied by the publication of an album.

Alexander Ustinov died in 1995 in Moscow.

In 2009, an exhibition of Ustinov's work was held in FotoSoyuz gallery, in commemoration of his 100 years anniversary.

Yevgeny Khaldey (1917–1997)

Yevgeny Ananyevich Khaldey was born on 10 March 1917 in Yuzovka (now Donetsk). He became interested in photography at the age of 13 and started making pictures with a self-made camera. Khaldey's fist photographs were published in the local press in 1932. In 1939 he was employed by Photokhronika TASS agency as photographer.

On 21 June 1941, Khaldey photographed the 100th death anniversary of poet Mikhail Lermontov in Tarkhany. Next day he made pictures of the Moscovites at loudspeakers, listening to Molotov tell of Germany's attack at the Soviet Union.

As TASS war correspondent, Khaldey took part in the assaults of Novorossiysk, Kerch, liberation of Sevastopol. Together with the troops he marched across Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Austria. Khaldey's most known photograph, Banner of Victory Upon Reichstag, was made in Berlin on 2 May 1945. In summer 1945 Khaldey photographed war operations in the Russia's Far East, in Kharbin and Port Arthur, and made photographic reportage about Potsdam Conference. In 1946 he was commissioned by TASS to make pictures of the Nuremberg trial.

At the height of campaign «against cosmopolitism», Khaldey was fired from Photokhronika TASS on the ground of his «unsufficient education and political literacy». He lived in misery for several years, earning his living by odd jobs. After Stalin's death he worked for Klub I Khudozhestvennaya Samodeyatelnost (Club and Amateur Performance) magazine. In 1957–1972 he worked for Pravda (Truth) newspaper, later for  Sovetskaya Kultura (Soviet Culture).

In 1990s Khaldey became world famous: in 1995 he was awarded the Honor of Arts and Letters of the French Republic at the international journalist photography festival in Perpignan; in 1997 the US publishing house Aperture published the book Witness to History. Photographs of Yevgeny Khaldei; in the same year the 60-minute film Yevgeny Khaldey, Photographer of the Stalin Epoch was made by Wajnbrosse Productions&Cult Film company was demonstrated in Paris and Brussels.

Honorary member of the Russian Union of Art Photographers, Yevgeny Khaldey died in Moscow in 1997.

Khaldey's first personal exhibition was held in 1998 in the Photography Center in Gogolevsky Boulevard (Moscow). In 2002 and 2004 his personal exhibitions were held by the Russian Union of Art Photographers. In 2004 the book Khaldei. Un photoreporter en Union Sovietique (Khaldey. Soviet Journalist Photographer) by M.Grosse was published in Paris.

Ivan Shagin (1904-1982)

Ivan Mikhaylovich Shagin was born in 1904 in Ivanovo region. In the early 1920s he was a seaman on a steamboat that cruised the Volga river. In 1924 he started working in a cooperative sotre in Moscow, first as a salesman, later as an instructor at a demonstration training shop. Shagin became interested in photography already in the 1920s, and from 1930 on he was professionally engaged as journalist photographer. Shagin was permanent enployee of newspaper editorial offices for Kooperativnaya Zhizn (Cooperative Life) and Nasha Gazeta (Our Newspaper), and in 1933 he started working for Komsomolskaya Pravda (Komsomol Truth). Industry, agriculture, sport, Soviet youth and the Red Army were the main themes of his photographs before the war. In 1934 Shagin took part in a number of international exhibitions. His works were shown in Prague, Warsaw, Saragossa. In 1935 he was invited to take part in the Exhibition of the Masters of Soviet Art Photography in Moscow. The exhibition featured 13 photographs selected among the results of his five-year professional work. In 1935 Shagin was put on the brigade of leading journalist photographers that took pictures of military maneuvers in Kiev by the commission of the Political Department of RKKA (Red Army of Workers and Peasants).

As a war correspondent photographer, Ivan Shagin took pictures of the war from its first day to its end. After the victory he worked in Berlin making photographs of Soviet soldiers and city's inhabitants.

In the postwar time Shagin continued working for Komsomolskaya Pravda. Since1950 Shagin took photographs for Pravda (Truth) newspaper, Novosti printing agency, various publishing houses. He practiced color photography. His works were published in Ogonyok (Spark) and Smena (Shift) magazines.

Ivan Shagin died in Moscow in 1982.

Arkady Shaykhet (1898 - 1959)

Arkady Samoylovich Shaykhet was born on 30 August 1898 in Nikolayev. From the age of 12 he worked at Nikolayev shipbuilding factory as assistant locksmith. Shaykhet took part in the First World War. In 1920 he arrived in Moscow and found a job as a retoucher in a private photography studio, which decided his career.

Shaykhet's first photograph was published in Rabochaya Gazeta (Workers' Newspaper) in 1924. He photographed for Ogonyok (Spark) magazine for the next ten years.

In 1928 Shaykhet took part in the 10 Years of Soviet Photography exhibition (and received first degree certificate). Immediately after the founding of SSSR Na Stroyke (Building the USSR) illustrated magazine, initiated by Maxim Gorky, Shaykhet became its permanent correspondent.

In 1931, together with a group of journalist photographers, Shaykhet photographed the 24 Hours from the Life of Filippov Family feature for the German AIZ magazine. This work had a vast political meaning and instigated numerous discussions of the ways of social development.

In 1936-1938 Shaykhet took part in the First All-Union Exhibition of Art Photography (first degree certificate), All-Ukranian exhibition (first degree certificate), exhibition of Moscow photographers, exhibitions in London, Zagreb and other places.

In the year 1938 marked by the Great Terror, the death of A.M.Gorky and arrest of the chief editor of Ogonyok M.Koltsov, Shaykhet was fired from the official periodicals and found a job in a more democratic Illustrirovannaya Gazeta (Illustrated Newspaper).

During the Second World War Shaykhet was correspondent for Frontovaya Illustratsiya (Front Illustration) newspaper. He photographed almost every important war operation, including the battles of Moscow, Stalingrad, Kursk Salient, as well as the taking of Berlin. For his war services he was awarded by two orders and medals.

In 1946-1959 Shaykhet worked for various periodicals, was engaged in book illustration. He also started working with color photography and took time to organize his archive.

Arkady Shaykhet took part in foreign exhibitions (Focus, the Netherlands, 1946) and the ones in Moscow: The Great Patriotic War (1948), Art Photogrpahy Exhibition (1955), Exhibition of Moscow Journalist Photographers (1956), All-Union 40 Years of Art Photography Exhibition (1958).

Arkady Shaykhet died on 18 November 1959 in Moscow.

His works are in the collections of Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, Ludwig Museum in Cologne and other museums. Retrospective exhibitions of Shaykhet's work have been held in Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (2000), State Russian Museum (2001), Zurab Tseretely Art Gallery (2010).