Born 1875, Novgorod - Died 1967, New York

Painter, graphic artist and theatre designer.

Paintings and Graphic Work        Theatre        Biography

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Note: other work by this artist may be viewed under the movement Mass and Agit Art.

Paintings and Graphic Work

Biography:

Mstislav Valeryanovich Dobuzhinsky was born in Russia of a Lithuanian father and a Russian mother. His father was an artillery officer and his mother - an opera singer. His childhood he has spent in St.Petersburg.

He has studied at the Drawing School of OPKh (Society for the Encouragement of the Arts), St.Petersburg (1884 -1885).

He has then studied at the Law faculty of St.Petersburg University (1895 -1899). At the same time he has studied at the workshops of N.Dmitriev-Orenburgsky (1897) and L.Dmitriev-Caucazsky (1887-1889). In 1895 Dobuzhinsky has applied unsuccessfully to the Academy of Arts.

In 1897 he has traveled to Germany and Switzerland.

Married Elizaveta Volkenstein (1899).

Studied drawing and painting at the schools of A.Aschbe and S.Holloshy, Munich (1899-1901).

From 1901 Dobuzhinsky lived in St.Petersburg and studied etching at V.Mate.

In 1902 Dobuzhinsky has applied for the second time, again unsuccessfully, to the Academy of Arts.

In 1903 he has made the acquaintance of Alexander Benois and Leon Baxt and joined the World of Art group. The artist has worked in the department of waterways and highways of Railways Ministry.

From 1910 he served as secretary of the society "Union of Russian Artists", in which he was also a member (1903-1910).

From 1903 the artist participated in exhibitions including World of Art, "Union of Russian Artists", "New Society of Artists".

He collaborated with edition "Art Treasures of Russia" (1903), with the revolutionary satirical journals "Zhupel" and "Infernal Post" (1905-1906), the art magazine "The Golden Fleece" (1906-1907), the journals "Satyricon" (1908-1911) and "New Satyricon" (1913), the art magazine "Apollon" (1909-1913).

The artist traveled to Paris, Berlin and London (1906), and visited Paris annually. In 1908 he traveled to Italy and Switzerland, in 1910 - to Holland and to Paris, in 1912 - to Denmark and to the Southern Russian towns (Chernigov, Nezhin, Voronezh, Kursk, Kiev). In 1914 Dobuzhinsky has gone to the front for drawings in Galicia and Poland.

He has taught (1906 -1911) at Zvantzeva's drawing and painting school ("The school of Baxt and Dobuzhinsky") in St.Petersburg; and in 1922-1923 at the Petrograd SVOMAS (State Free Art Workshops).

Dobuzhinsky has worked as theatre designer in the "Antiquity theatre" and Kommissarzhevskaya's theatre (1907); Moscow Artistic Theatre (1909 -1917); Russian ballets of S.Diagilev in Paris (1914); together with Yu.Yuryev he organized the Theatre of tragedy in Cinizelli'c Circus (1918), Petrograd; the Big dramatic theatre in Petrograd (1919-1921); designed stagings for Dresden Opera and for Riga Chamber theatre (1924).

In 1917 Dobuzhinsky worked as a member of committee for the affairs of arts at the Soviet of Workings and Soldiers Deputies and served as Secretary of the Special Conference by art affairs, as well. In 1917-1919 he worked in the Committee for the protection of antiquity monuments.

The artist has illustrated many children books and art literature (1919-1923).

In 1918 and 1920 the artist has created designs for the Revolution Anniversary celebrations in Petrograd.

Upon invitation from Marc Chagall, Dobuzhinsky has taken part in organizing Vitebsk Artistic-Practical Institute and the Vitebsk Art Museum.

The artist participated in many exhibitions abroad: 1906 in Berlin; 1906 and 1928 in Paris; 1910 in Brussels; 1911 in Rome; 1913 in Venice; 1924 in Dresden; 1928 in Copenhagen; 1928 in Amsterdam.

Held a personal show in Tallinn in 1925.

In 1924 Dobuzhinsky has finally left Russia.

From this time he has lived in Lithuania, in Kovno (now Kaunas), but sas spent a lot of time in Europe, especially in Paris. He worked for the theatres of London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Düsseldorf end others, and was Head Artist of Lithuanian Artistic theatre. In 1939 Dobuzhinsky has gone to America, lived in New York and decorated the stagings for Metropolitan-opera, City-centre, "Russian ballet Monte-Carlo in New-York". In the 1950s he worked basically as theatre designer in Europe, namely France, Italy, England, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark.

In 1957, short time before his death, Dobuzhinsky came back to USA and died in New York on November 20th 1957.

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