Lenin and Stalin in Gorky, 1922
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.In this widely reproduced image, Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Ilich Lenin—the leader of the Bolshevik Revolution and founder of the U.S.S.R.—appear to share a friendly moment together outdoors at Gorki, Lenin’s estate just south of Moscow. Although Stalin did visit Lenin there frequently, the photograph has been heavily reworked: retouchers smoothed Stalin’s pockmarked complexion, lengthened his shriveled left arm, and increased his stature so that Lenin seems to recede benignly beside his trusted heir apparent. The reality was quite different: in a letter dictated around the time the picture was taken, Lenin described Stalin as intolerably rude and capricious and recommended that he be removed from his position as the Communist Party’s secretary general.
Artwork Details
- Title: Lenin and Stalin in Gorky, 1922
- Artist: Unknown (Russian)
- Date: 1949
- Medium: Gelatin silver print with applied media
- Dimensions: Image: 24.8 x 23.5 cm (9 3/4 x 9 1/4 in.)
Frame: 48.9 x 38.7 cm (19 1/4 x 15 1/4 in.) - Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Collection of Ryna and David Alexander
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
Content Notice
The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.