At the exhibition one can see the coloured lithographies of Mikhail Karasik. They are from the album "The palace of Soviets". It was printed in 15 numerated copies. The foundation of the artist’s album were the projects of the contest that took place in 1933. A great number of prominent architects took part in that contest.
The Palace of Soviets or "Soviet Babylon Tower" could have become the best monument to tyranny but became one of the greatest architectural myths of the past century. Stalin Atlantida sank in the waters of history. Let’s try to see it through the thickness of time.
Mikhail Karasik
A genius idea came into the leader’s head. He ordered to call the great architects of his time to the Kremlin. He told everyone of them one of his dreams in details. The drawings were created according to his stories. The best drawing was supposed to be chosen by the leader himself. Unfortunately, the great deed was sabotaged, for the architects learnt that the winner of the contest would be blinded after finishing the construction of the Palace of Soviets according to the old Russian tradition. V.A. Mairhold was the person who let the cat out of the bag, as he was a member of the Construction Council and that was the case he was shot down for. They say Stalin began to hate intellectuals since that time. The artist Mikhail Karasik depicted all the dreams of the leader in his lithographies. He depicted them with great accuracy.
Arkady Ippolitov, exhibition curator