El Lissitzky: Maler, Architekt, Typograf, Fotograf

Is this the best ever book about El Lissitzky? We’re not saying it. We’re just asking the question. His is a name, however, that is mentioned in other treatises on modern art and graphic design, but whose work as a whole is hardly known, and around whom a legend has developed that is either purposeful or draped in half-truths. This book aims to put a stop to all speculation about the man—but it does it German. He was a phenomenon of singular proportions in the art and design of the 20th century and one of those universal artists whose ideas and practices brought about revolutionary changes in many areas of art—in painting, book design, architecture, photography, theater, and exhibitions. This book shows this tireless protagonist of the ideas of the 20th century was connected to the spirit and cultural-political aspirations of the Great Socialist October Revolution, and indeed how his art was indebted to them. A terrific graphic resource and a lovely book from the collection of Inge Druckrey.