Kniga - nichto inoye kak chelovyek govoryashy publichno [A Book Is Nothing But a Man Speaking in Public], a poster by Sergei Ivanov (1885-1942), GIZ, Petersburg, 1920, 64 x 47 cm.

In the early post-revolutionary years, Sergei Ivanov produced a number of memorable posters, but he is much better known as an important Moscow theater artist. Interestingly, a number of his early GIZ posters were published in Petersburg.

The poster shown is briefly discussed in Stephen White's The Bolshevik Poster. Another Ivanov poster from the early GIZ posters promoting reading and literacy, also reproduced by White, was offered in our September 2011 sale (lot 26). It is worth noting that GIZ was originally set up as the publishing arm of the Enlightenment Commissariat.

Search extension words: Russian poster, Soviet poster.