An art exhibition 'Kukryniksy and Saltykov's Heroes' (0+) has opened at the M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin House-Museum (a department of the Kirov Regional Museum of Local Lore named after P. V. Alabin). The exhibition is timed to the 100th anniversary of the creative union of the three renowned artists.
Today, the collection of the Kirov Regional Museum of Local Lore holds 27 authentic watercolor drawings by the Kukryniksy. This is a series of unique illustrations for M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin's satirical novel The History of a Town, created in 1979.
It should be noted that the Kukryniksy first created a cycle of illustrations for the novel in 1939, and in the late 1970s the artists reworked their cycle, expanding it and making the illustrations in color. It was this version that was acquired by the Kirov local history museum. In honor of the artists' centenary, part of the unique museum collection — 11 works — was put on public display.
The illustrations are executed in a well-recognizable manner. At the exhibition you can see portraits of the novel's characters — the town governors Borodavkin, Dvoekurov, Ivanov — as well as scenes from the lives of the officials and townspeople of the town of Glupov.
Recall that the Kukryniksy are a union of three artists: Mikhail Vasilyevich Kupriyanov (1903–1991), Porfiry Nikitich Krylov (1902–1990), and Nikolai Alexandrovich Sokolov (1903–2000). The collective working method among the artists formed back when they were studying at the Higher Art and Technical Studios (VKhUTEMAS). They became best known for their numerous masterfully executed caricatures and portraits, as well as book illustrations created in a characteristic caricature style.
A large-scale exhibition dedicated to the artists' work is currently open at the Central Exhibition Hall "Manez" in Moscow. Residents of Kirov also have the unique opportunity to see original Kukryniksy works by visiting the M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin House-Museum.
