OMKh - The Society of Moscow Artists - Obschestvo Moscovskikh Khudozhnikov - ОМХ - Общество Московских Художников

1927 - 1932, Member List

OMKh - the Society of Moscow Artists - was formed in 1927 and included mostly former members of the Jack (Knave) of Diamonds and members of the groups Moscow Painters and Makovetz.

In its creative line, OMKh continued developing the principles of Russian Cesannism, with preference given to still life and landscape genres.

The OMKh declaration states: "Painting is not observation; it is not a static repetition of life; it is neither a passive natural reflection of reality nor the means of studying this reality; but rather a powerful instrument of artistic influence on the world, a tool of active restructuring of life" ("The fight for realism in the art of the 1920s, p.224).

The artists strived to reflect the many-faceted material world with the lightness and visual unity of color and form, a coordination of object multi-dimensional structuring and the dazzling play of light and shadows.

The following artists were members of OMKh:  S.Gerasimov (deputy chairman), I.Grabar, N.Grigoriev, A.Drevin, K.Zefirov, A.Kuprin, A.Lentulov (chairman), I.Mashkov, A.Osmerkin (secretary), V.Rozhdestvenski, G.Rublev, N.Udaltzova, R.Falk, G.Fedorov, N.Chernyshev, V.Ryndin, A.Lebedev-Shuisky, S.Lobanov and others.

In 1928-29 the society received new members mostly from groups "Painters Workshop", Existence, The 4 Arts Society and others. Among them were A.Kravchenko, N.Krymov, A.Fonvizin, A.Shevchenko. In all there were about 70 members and candidates.

In 1928 art workshops were organized, where political posters were created, postcards, reproductions, orders were filled for painting of public buildings, designing of worker clubs and mass processions.

OMKh was forever under attacks from the Official Groups (such as AKhR, "October" etc) and NARKOMPROS, who demanded in 1930 to make "class differentiation" and "cleaning of lines" in OMKh. In 1931 the group has basically dispersed, and was finally ended in 1932.

The first OMKh exhibition was held in 1928, then in 1929. The artists have taken part in many moving exhibitions.