Sidelined by the Soviets when he was alive, architect Yakov Chernikhov is being rediscovered more than 50 years after his death. An exhibition of his graphic works has opened in Moscow. One of the founders of constructivism, Chernikhov is often called th

The retrospective show features over 400 exhibits, including ornaments and architectural compositions from the 1920s. 

Chernikhov described his graphic drawings as “Architectural Fantasies”, and even today they seem futuristic. His sketches, which could be defined as a mixture of exaggerated baroque with elements of industrialism, are outside the framework of any strict architectural style. 

The artist’s son, Dmitry Chernikhov, says his father was inspired by ancient architecture, even turning to the Neolithic period for ideas.

Yakov Chernikhov's ornaments

In contrast to the grotesqueness of his architectural work, Chernikhov loved painting windmills and was also known for his ornaments and graphical fonts.

“He derived a rule for creating fonts. He proved they follow the golden ratio formula, which provides the most aesthetically satisfying proportions for a picture or a composition,” says Dmitry Chernikhov. 

Banned from displays during Soviet times, most of the works are only now seeing the light of day.

More than half a century after his death in 1951, the architectural community and the authorities are returning to the work of Yakov Chernikhov.  So far, more than 60 of his architectural projects have been built.