Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow 2012
Red Army Theatre, Moscow 2012
© Leslie Hossack
The Bolshoi Theatre, famous for its ballet corps, is also linked to Joseph Stalin. Here he made significant political speeches and attended Soviet party events; on one occasion, he stormed out of an opera by Shostakovich. Recently, the theatre was completely renovated and reopened in 2011 with much of its original splendor restored.
The Red Army Theatre is designed in the shape of a five-pointed star, the symbol of the Russian Red Army. Built in 1934-1940, it was one of the first theatres constructed after the revolution and was one of the largest, originally seating 1,950. The interior is full of army emblems; a huge picture of Stalin used to look down on the central staircase, but it is now covered over.
The Moscow Photographs, a collection of limited edition fine art prints by Leslie Hossack, examine Joseph Stalin’s architectural legacy in Russia’s capital. The structures are linked to Stalin by era, architect and anecdote. Hossack painstakingly deconstructs these historic landmarks, revealing them as they appeared when the architects first put their designs on paper.
The Moscow Photographs include: Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow’s 1980 Olympic Stadium; the Small Arena and Swimming Stadium also located at the Luzhniki Olympic Sports Complex; Lenin’s Tomb and Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Red Square; Bolshoi Theatre and Red Army Theatre; Moscow City Hall and Dinamo Metro Station; Gorky Park and Ukraine Pavilion; Lubyanka Building and Moskva Hotel; Russian White House and Kotelnicheskaya Apartment Building, one of Stalin’s high-rises known as the Seven Sisters.
These images are part of Leslie Hossack’s larger body of work that explores Nazi architecture in Berlin, sacred sites in Jerusalem and a Cold War bunker in Ottawa. To view more images, please visit her website. lesliehossack.com
HAUTE VITRINE 