Lot 56: IGNATOVICH, BORIS (1899-1979) Military Exercise

IGNATOVICH, BORIS (1899-1979)
Military Exercise.
Gelatin silver print, 52.5 by 37.5 cm.
Photographed and printed c. 1930s.

Provenance: With the Grekov Studio of Military Artists, from 1948 (stamp on the reverse).
Private collection, Europe.

The iconic Russian photographer Boris Ignatovich (1899–1979) started out as a journalist, but from 1922 developed an interest in photography. In 1926 became one of the directors of the Association of Photo-Correspondents at the Publishing House (Dom pechati); and in 1928 together with Alexander Rodchenko he set up Oktiabr, a group of progressive artists, architects and filmmakers. He also worked for Ogoniok, Sovetskoye foto and SSSR na stroike. In the 1930s, Ignatovich filmed several documentaries, continuing at the same time to work as a journalist. He also headed the illustration department of the newspaper Vechernyaya Moskva and collaborated with the agency Soyuzfoto and several other periodicals specialising in construction. During World War II, he worked as a war correspondent on German-occupied territories, producing a well-known series of photographs documenting the Soviet resistance movement. After the war, Ignatovich became one of the directors of the legendary Moscow photo club Novator.