Lebedev Vladimir Vassilievich
Nude.

Nude.
Year: 1917.
Technique: Pencil on paper.
Size: 32х41,5.

Signed and dated top left.

Lebedev Vladimir Vassilievich (1891, Saint-Petersburg – 1967, Leningrad).

People’s Artist of the RSFSR, corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Arts. 
One of the founders of the Russian school for illustrating of the books for children. Attended the F.A. Russo Studio (1910-1914) and the M.D. Bernstein and L.V. Sharewood School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture. Studied at the Saint-Petersburg Academy of Arts (1912-1914).
Collaborated with the “Satirikon’ and ‘New Satirikon’ Magazines. Was one of the founders of the propagandistic Windows of ‘ROSTa’ in Petrograd (1920-1921).
Professor of the Petrograd State Arts Studios (1918-1921).
Joined the ‘Association of New Trends in the Art’ (1922-1923) headed by V.E. Tatlin, having been considerably influenced by that. Later on was a member of the ‘Four Arts’. Created a special type of books illustration, uniting the traditions of the book illustrating drawing technique of the ‘World of the Arts’ and the futurists. In the 1920th made the satirical series ‘NEP’ (New Economical Policy), ‘New Life’, ‘Love of the Rabble’. The brilliant drawings ‘Acrobats’, ‘Ballerinas’ and ‘Guitar-players’ as well the numerous sketches of the naked appeared as the results of everyday work with the models. The artist’s illustrations to the ‘Baby elephant’ by R. Kipling and the poems of S. Marshak ‘Yesterday and Today’, ‘Ice-cream’, ‘Silly little mouse’, ‘Circus’ (all 1925), ‘Luggage’ (1926) and ‘How the Plane made the Plane’ opened a new era in the illustrated book for children. V.V. Lebedev was heading the Artistic Editorial Office of the Children and Youth literature Department of the State Edition, having converted it to the centre of creation of highly artistic books for children (1924-1933).
The works of V.V. Lebedev are kept at the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum and other museums.