Kotelnicheskaya Apartment Building, Moscow 2012
Russian White House, Moscow 2012
© Leslie Hossack
Both buildings above were designed by Soviet architect Dmitry Chechulin.
The Kotelnicheskaya Apartment Building is one of Stalin’s high rises. These Moscow landmarks, nicknamed the Seven Sisters or Stalin’s wedding cakes, were built from 1947-1953 employing the construction technology of American skyscrapers. Dmitry Chechulin, city of Moscow architect from 1945-1949, oversaw the construction of all seven skyscrapers and also designed Kotelnicheskaya where he later lived.
The Russian White House, constructed from 1965-1981, is a government building in Moscow. It is famous for the attempted coup of August 1991 and Boris Yeltsin’s speech from the top of a Soviet tank. In 1993 the building was attacked again; blasts broke windows and smoke blackened the facade. Today, the windows and marble exterior gleam in the sunlight.
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 