CONQUEST. YAKOV KHALIP, HEIR TO THE RUSSIAN AVANT-GARDE
November 3 – December 11, 2016

The Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography presents the first complete retrospective of the classic Soviet photographer Yakov Khalip. The exhibition is based on the Khalip family archive, a collection from The Lumiere Center and private collections. The Yakov Khalip’s name is famous far beyond the Russian museum world and photographic collections. The exhibition of Yakov Khalip’s work, as well as the serious scope of publishing efforts, should have been available in Russia years ago, however, the body of work of one of Soviet photography’s classics had remained unstudied for over the last 35 years. The Lumiere Center for Photography strives to fill the gap to unveil the archive of the master.

The retrospective exhibition of Yakov Khalip (1908-1980) gives an insight into the evolution of soviet photography - from the avant-garde 1920s to the stagnant 1970s - through the body of work of one great photographer. The exposition is built around five key milestones: Yakov Khalip's work at soviet film studios in the company of legendary directors and actors, such as Boris Barnet, Nikolai Okhlopkov, Sergei Eisenstein etc (1927-1930s); bold avant-garde experiments together with Alexander Rodchenko and the magazine USSR in Construction (1930s); heroic series of the Arctic rescue expedition of Ivan Papanin's team (1938); war reports with poet Konstantin Simonov (1941-1945); and thaw period photo stories for major Soviet magazines (1950-1970s).

Apart from Khalip’s well-known classical images, the exhibition features for the first time photographs, shot at the set of early Soviet films, that have just been attributed. These are: Moscow in October (1927), Forced Labor Camp (1928), Ingenuous Hearts (1928), The Iron Brigade (1930), and Enthusiasts’ Way (1930). The exhibition also includes an advertising shoot for the major Soviet tourist agency Intourist, with new images from the 1930-1960s. Over 100 vintage and modern prints will present “a master of genre photo-essay with his own style, which combined avant-garde photography and cinematographic trickery”.

Apart from photographs, the exhibition includes archival video footage of the Arctic expedition, extracts of the early soviet films, cinematographic work with K. Simonov on WWII, and video footage of the 1960s. The Khalip family archives reveal unique artefacts introducing the epoch: documents of the Arctic expedition: original expedition maps, trip permits and assignments, postcards sets of the 1930s, rare books and booklets featuring Khalip’s work, and handmade thematic photo albums, created by the photographer and many more.

Presentation of the first photo book by Yakov Khalip and an extensive lecture programme are planned within the framework of the exhibition. The exhibition is made in collaboration with the project Gazprom Neft – Arctic Time.