Italian Palace Of Soviets

With the support of the Italian Institute of Culture

Sponsors: KERAMOS and MARSHALL estate

Media support: INTERIOR+DESIGN magazine, PROJECT CLASSICA

December 15, 2006 - February 20, 2007

The Enfilade of the Main Building

The exhibition is dedicated to the striking moment in history of Soviet architecture of the 20^th century - to the competition on project of the Palace of Soviets in Moscow. In this competition of year 1931 160 architects took part with many of them from Europe and USA: so great was the public attention to the exciting ideas of construction of this magnificent building.

During the judging process the government of the USSR (most likely, Stalin himself) decided that horizontal, gravitating towards ground projects by modernist architects did not suited their purposes. So the jury chose vertical, towerlike works and recommended the winners to develop their ideas in classical forms.

Soviet architect Boris Iofan, the eventual winner of this competition worked out this idea to its perfection. He created dozens of projects in subject of the new Tower of Babel using images of famous towerlike buildings of antiquity: Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus, mausoleums of Roman Emperors Adrian and August, Lighthouse of Alexandria. Iofan had been also influenced by work of Armando Brazini - Italian architect from Rome who dreamt about architectural renaissance of the ancient Roman magnificence and who created his architectural style that differed greatly from moderate neoclassic buildings of the fascist Italy.

Iofan had been Brazini's apprentice and spent in Rome about 10 years (1914-1923). He learned a lot at the workshop of this visionary architect.

It was Boris Iofan who made possible to invite Armando Brazini to participate at the Palace of Soviets' competition. Though Brazini's project had not been named the best, it had been mentioned by the jury and from it Iofan's 'Tower of Babel' had been born with the feature of Lenin's statue at the top of the building.

So it happened that the follower developed the master's ideas while working on the fantastic building-symbol's project.

The subject of the Roman architecture is shown at our exhibition with the most possible width through works by Iofan from his 'Italian period' and Brazini's projects of various periods. But the main theme remains centered round the Palace of Soviets: for the first time all parts of Brazini's project are on display together with the most important approved and most significant versions of Iofan's project. There has been made also an attempt to outline work of Brazini and Iofan after the competition and to show the theme of tower at their later projects.

'Italian Palace of Soviets' exhibition design is made by the famous Italian architect Paolo Martellotti. The illustrated exhibition catalogue is published with articles by Russian and Italian researchers of Brazini's work and of architecture of his time.

Russian version