The magazine USSR in Construction combined Stalinist propaganda with avant-garde graphic design.

USSR in Construction was published monthly in Moscow from 1930 to 1941 in Russian, English, German, French and, from 1938, Spanish. The magazine was intended to promote Stalin's policies of industrialisation and the collectivisation of agriculture. This message of triumphant modernisation was embodied in some of the most remarkable magazine design of the twentieth century. Artist/designers including Nikolai Troshin (the magazine's art director), El Lissitsky, Alexander Rodchenko and Varvara Stepanova used Suprematist composition, cinematic-style sequences, photomontage, complex gatefolds and duotone printing techniques. It is striking that a propaganda magazine could employ such avant-garde techniques at a time when Stalin insisted that all fine arts should adopt a social realist aesthetic.

Each issue was dedicated to a specific theme, such as the Red Army, Soviet aviation, coal mining and electrification projects, and the construction of dams, canals and railroads. Photographers were sent to the far reaches of the Soviet Union to illustrate special issues on the latest successes of Stalin’s Five-Year Plans. There was no hint of the political persecution, economic hardships and the culture of terror suffered by large sections of the Soviet people. However, several members of the magazine’s own editorial committee fell victim to Stalin’s purges, including Grigorii Pyatakov, who was accused of Trotskyism and shot. The writer Isaak Babel, who edited several issues, was tortured and shot in 1941.

USSR in Construction enjoyed great success during its first few years. But Western Europe was becoming increasingly disillusioned with Stalin, and international subscriptions slumped after his pact with Hitler was signed in 1939. Less than two years later, the Nazis invaded Russia and the magazine folded. It was briefly revived in 1949, a pale shadow of its former self.

Curated by Sophie Howarth

All works have been lent by The David King Collection