El Lissitzky's somersaulting multiple exposure of himself and several friends in his studio was made in 1923, probably when he was living in Hannover at the invitation of Kurt Schwitters. The fantastic intermingling of bodies suggests the free-spirited nature of the Russian artist's explorations and is a particularly apt expression of his vision of a "world floating in space." In accordance with Lissitzky's utopian belief that art would free the modern world from conventional tethers, the photograph can be read from any direction.
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Credit Line:Ford Motor Company Collection, Gift of Ford Motor Company and John C. Waddell, 1987
Object Number:1987.1100.62
Inscription: Inscribed on print, verso UC: "[illegible] des Hand von // El Lissitzky gesch [illegible]"; inscribed in ink on print, verso UC: "Foto von aufgenome // in Berlin. okt. 1923."; stamped in ink on print, verso C: "V. HUSZAR // VOORBURG // HOLLAND"; inscribed on print, verso LC [on slant]: "Original Photo // von El Lissitzky // Lev. Lisstizky";
Vilmos Huszar (Huszar collaborated with Lissitzky in 1923 and is believed to have acquired this work directly from the artist); Prakapas Gallery; John C. Waddell, March 5, 1983
JCW notes that signature of Lissitzky's son, Lev, authenticates photo and his father's handwriting
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The New Vision: Photography between the World Wars. The Ford Motor Company Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art," September 23–December 31, 1989.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. "The New Vision: Photography between the World Wars. The Ford Motor Company Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art," February 28–April 22, 1990.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art. "The New Vision: Photography between the World Wars. The Ford Motor Company Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art," May 10–July 15, 1990.
High Museum of Art. "The New Vision: Photography between the World Wars. The Ford Motor Company Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art," February 5–April 28, 1991.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. "The New Vision: Photography between the World Wars. The Ford Motor Company Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art," June 8–August 4, 1991.
IVAM, Centre Julio Gonzalez, Valencia. "The New Vision, IVAM, Centre Julio Gonzalez, Valencia," January 20, 1995–March 26, 1995.
Sprengel Museum Hannover. "El Lissitsky: Beyond the Abstract Cabinet," January 17, 1999–April 5, 1999.
Fundacao de Serralves, Porto. "El Lissitsky: Beyond the Abstract Cabinet," September 16, 1999–November 7, 1999.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Reimagining Modernism - Photographs Rotation 11," November 24, 2017–June 25, 2018.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Photography between the Wars: Selections from the Ford Motor Company Collection." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin (Spring 1988). p. 38.
Hambourg, Maria Morris. The New Vision: Photography between the World Wars, Ford Motor Company Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1989. no. 88.
Alexander Rodchenko (Russian, St. Petersburg 1891–1956 Moscow)
1927
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