Soviet Space Graphics: Cosmic Visions From the USSR

Fans of Soviet space design, there’s a new book released today. ‘Soviet Space Graphics: Cosmic Visions from the USSR’ is one of the most lavish publications on the theme to date. Of course, there wasn't much room for anything too lavish back in the USSR, but this book which runs at 240 full-colour pages, is a visual feast with plenty to keep you busy during the Corona lock down. Plus a few full-body space suits that look incredibly useful right now. 

The book is a collaboration with the Moscow Design Museum, a relative newbie on the scene opening in 2012 as the first cultural institution in Russia devoted to design. It charts through design the tensions of the Cold War and how space was an arena of competition, technological advance, and military strength. All our heroes are represented, cosmic trailblazers in both human form with the likes of Yuri Gagarin, and animal, with space-dogs Strelka and Belka. The book is divided in four chapters, one titled ‘Future Visions’ of particular interest to us here at The Modernist Society, looking at how the Soviet’s saw advancements in space technology impacting here on earth, with proposals for vast vertical cities, atomic aeroplanes, and aquatic infrastructure networks included. The graphics are in this book are simply beautiful. High-quality reproductions from hand painted posters, flyers and pamphlets, Phaidon have also gone the extra mile and provided us with biographical information for each artist they’ve featured.

“Fun, fantastical, weird, wonderful, occasionally ominous, but always captivating, these images simultaneously transport readers back to a time of great optimism and boundless discovery, while also highlighting the vast, uncharted territory of space exploration today. Full of nostalgia and kitsch, it is a true celebration of the visionaries at work behind the iron curtain.” 

 Soviet Space Graphics: Cosmic Visions from the USSR is released on 20th March 2020 and is authored by Alexandra Sankova in collaboration with the Moscow Design Museum #SovietSpaceGraphicsBook