Mayakovsky State Museum

Mayakovsky Museum is located on Lubyansky Proezd in Moscow. It is dedicated to the life and work of Vladimir Mayakovsky, one of the most prominent figures of the Russian literary and artistic avant-garde. Founded in 1938, the memorial and literary exposition is now included in the list of the most extraordinary cultural places in the capital, mainly due to its futuristic interiors and non-standard approach to the placement of exhibition material.

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Since 2013, the main building of the Mayakovsky Museum has been closed due to planned renovations, but presumably in 2018 the poet’s house will reopen its doors to Muscovites and city guests.

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Video: Mayakovsky Museum

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History of the Mayakovsky Museum

The history of the Mayakovsky Museum began with a banal complaint, which the former “muse of the avant-garde” and owner of the copyright to publish the works of the classics, Lilya Brik, sent to Stalin himself. The text of the letter explicitly hinted at the fact that the Soviet government too quickly forgot the merits of the “singer of the revolution”, while it would be nice to collect in one place all the materials relating to his work as a cultural heritage for posterity. Certainly, citizen Brik cared more about her own well-being than about the younger generation, because by 1935 Mayakovsky’s popularity was on the decline, so the income from the publication of his works decreased. However, the complaint had its effect, and in 1937 the Moscow City Council decided to create a museum-library in Gendrikovsky Lane – in the apartment where the poet lived with the Brik family until 1930.

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In order to idealize the image of the Soviet avant-gardist, the relationship love triangle Mayakovsky – Lilya – Osip Brik decided not to advertise. As a result, the Mayakovsky Museum turned into a classic library exhibition: boring, but decent and having nothing to do with the romantic predilections of the classicist.

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In 1967, the institution moved to a new “apartment”, in the former profitable house of I. Stakheev in the area of Lubyansky Proyezd. Once in this building Mayakovsky had a separate room, where he later shot himself. Along with the “place of residence” the museum changed its profile and turned into a literary and memorial object. In 1987, the interior of the institution underwent a complete reconstruction, turning it into a unique complex of installations that welcomed visitors to the house on Lubyansky Proezd until 2013.

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Interesting fact: during the Great Patriotic War, the Mayakovsky Museum, unlike most other cultural institutions of the capital, worked as usual, receiving visitors every day.

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Interior decoration

The interior of one of the most original cultural venues in Moscow is designed in the form of a “falling” spiral structure equipped with a staircase and occupying 5 floors of a house on Lubyansky Proezd. The top of this single installation is the very “boat-room”, which was once assigned to the poet and where he ended his earthly quest. In fact, it is the only historical place in the whole building that has preserved the spirit of the era and some traces of the presence of its famous owner.

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All the other rooms of the Mayakovsky Museum are a continuous ode to Soviet Constructivism. Exhibits and decorative modules seem to float in the air, chaotically hovering over visitors or freezing in free vertical fall. The laws of symmetry and orderliness practically do not apply on the territory of the museum: there is a spectacular chaos of avant-garde compositions, poster paintings, literary quotations and photo-documents. Tourists who are superficially familiar with the life and work of the poet, it is better to order a full tour in the company of a guide who will explain the purpose of this or that installation, which will allow you to really get into the atmosphere and understand what ideas the creators of the exposition were trying to convey to the viewer. By the way, photography is not forbidden indoors, but to get normal pictures you will have to bring a flash: in most halls the lighting is dimmed.

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Foundations

The bulk of the items on display today were donated to the museum’s collection by the poet’s relatives, notably his sisters, as well as the only daughter of the union’s chief avant-gardist, Patricia Thompson. In addition to traditional manuscripts, photographs from his personal archive and agitposters that made Mayakovsky the first Soviet advertiser, the museum also has some of his personal belongings. For example, the J.M. WESTON shoes bought during a trip to Paris, which the classicist took great care of, or a glass beaker, which always accompanied the poet on trips, as the “singer of the revolution” was very afraid to die of blood poisoning, like his father. Also preserved in the museum’s storerooms is a patchwork of an epathetic yellow striped blouse, which became a kind of uniform of early Mayakovsky.

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The literary fund of the Mayakovsky Museum has more than 25,000 items, including lifetime editions of the poet’s works, as well as memoirs of his contemporaries.

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Mayakovsky Museum today

In 2013, the main exposition on Lubyansky Proezd was dismantled, and the building was closed for repairs. At the same time, the Mayakovsky Museum itself continues to operate, using third-party sites to house its collections, as well as traveling to the regions.

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In addition, in Krasnaya Presnya in an apartment that belonged to the Mayakovsky family, the exhibition “Daughter” was opened in memory of the poet’s American heiress Patricia Thompson. The exhibition is based on the family archive of Mrs. Thompson, bequeathed by her to the museum. The exhibition itself consists of two parts. The first of them tells the story of the avant-garde artist’s acquaintance with Patricia’s mother Ellie Jones (Elena Siebert), and the second part shows the history of the Siebert family. You can visit the apartment on Krasnaya Presnya from Tuesday to Saturday from 12:00 to 20:00 (on Thursday from 13:00 to 21:00). Entrance is paid: the cost of an adult ticket with already included excursion service – 300 rubles, children’s – 150 rubles.

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How to get there

You can get to the main building of the Mayakovsky Museum by metro – Lubyanka station. The exact address of the object: Moscow, Lubyansky proezd 3/6, pp. 4.

To get to the exhibition “Daughter”, you will have to take the subway to the station “Ulitsa 1905 year”, then find a house on Krasnaya Presnya number 36, where in the 24th apartment and located the above exposition.

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