Wendingen by El Lissitzky
Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge by El Lissitzky
Untitled by El Lissitzky
Proun 2 (Construction) by El Lissitzky
Composition, slumber by El Lissitzky
Proun 19D by El Lissitzky
Proun 1 C by El Lissitzky

Where to See El Lissitzky

22 museums worldwide

Back to El Lissitzky

About El Lissitzky

Russian · 1890–1941 · Modernism

rejected from art school for being Jewish, inventing Prouns between painting and architecture, and designing propaganda while bedridden with tuberculosis

Read full biography →

El Lissitzky's works are held in 22 museums worldwide, including Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Sprengel Museum, and Victoria and Albert Museum.

Loading map…

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan

1 museum

El Lissitzky prints

Hand-finished archival prints from El Lissitzky's body of work.

Sentry - El Lissitzky - Poster Sentry - El Lissitzky From £28.00 New Man - El Lissitzky - Poster New Man - El Lissitzky From £28.00 Title Sheet: Part of the Show Machinery - El Lissitzky - Poster Title Sheet: Part of the Show Machinery - El Lissitzky From £28.00

See all El Lissitzky prints →

🇨🇦 Canada

1 museum

🇩🇪 Germany

4 museums

Also in GermanyMuseum Ludwig (2)Moritzburg (1)

🇳🇱 Netherlands

3 museums

Also in NetherlandsStedelijk Museum Amsterdam (2)Van Abbemuseum (1)

🇪🇸 Spain

2 museums

Also in SpainInstitut Valencià d'Art Modern (1)

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

1 museum

Also in United KingdomVictoria and Albert Museum (2)

🇺🇸 United States

10 museums

Also in United StatesHarvard Art Museums (1)Metropolitan Museum of Art (1)Cleveland Museum of Art (1)

Can't travel? Bring El Lissitzky home.

See all El Lissitzky prints →

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Where can I see El Lissitzky's work?
    El Lissitzky's works can be found in many collections, both public and private. These collections are located throughout Europe, Russia, and the United States. Examples include the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, and the Musée national d'art moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, in Paris. In Russia, his work is held by the All-Russian[7] Museum of Decorative and Folk Art, the Astrakhan Kustodiev Picture Gallery, and the State Tret'iakov Gallery, among others. Some works are also held in private collections such as the Collection George Costakis. Additionally, museums with a focus on the Bauhaus hold his works; these include the Bauhaus-Archiv in Berlin, the Bauhaus-Museum in Weimar, and the Busch-Reisinger Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
  • What should I know about El Lissitzky's prints?
    Born in Polshinok, Russia, El Lissitzky (1890[7]-1941[7]) trained as an architect. In 1919[7], he became a professor at the Vitebsk School of Art, where he met Malevich. Lissitzky then began his non-objective paintings, which he called "Prouns" (an abbreviation for the Russian[7] for "project for the establishment of a new art"). Lissitzky saw the Prouns as 'interchange stations between painting and architecture.' His prints include a portfolio of six colour lithographs, Proun (1 Kestnermappe), printed and published in Hannover in 1923. That same year, printer Chapman suggested he make a second portfolio of lithographs. For this, Lissitzky chose the theme of mechanical puppets. Between 1920-22, he had made watercolour drawings of puppets for Alexei Krutchonjch's opera Victory over the Sun, with set and costume design by Malevich (first performed in St. Petersburg in 1913). In the summer of 1923, Lissitzky transferred the watercolour drawings himself to lithographic stones. The portfolio, titled Victory over the Sun: The Sculptural Organization of an Electro-Mechanical Display, included the prints The Speaker, Gravedigger, and Modern Man.
  • Why are El Lissitzky's works important today?
    El Lissitzky (1890[7]-1941[7]) was a key figure in the Russian[7] avant-garde, whose work continues to resonate today. Trained as an engineer and architect, he applied these skills to art, typography, and exhibition design. Lissitzky is known for his "Prouns" (projects for the affirmation of the new), which merged Suprematist ideas with a Constructivist aesthetic. These works explored three-dimensionality and dynamic compositions, acting as a bridge between painting, sculpture, and architecture. Lissitzky saw the drafted exactitude of his works as a sign of economy and realism. His belief in art as an instrument of social change is evident in works such as the 1919[7] poster Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge, a piece of agit-prop employing simple geometric forms to communicate its message. He also designed the book Of Two Squares (1922), using geometry to convey a political theme. Lissitzky's time in Germany in the 1920s allowed him to influence the De Stijl group and the Bauhaus. He experimented with typography and exhibition design, creating spaces for the Internationale Kunstausstellung in Dresden (1926) and the Niedersachisches Landesmuseum in Hannover (1927). His work pushed the boundaries of art and design, exploring the relationship between abstract form and social use.
  • Who is El Lissitzky?
    El Lissitzky was born Lazar Markovich Lissitzky in 1890[7] in Polchinok, in the Russian[7] province of Smolensk, and he grew up in Vitebsk. He trained as an architect, and he was a self-taught painter.
  • What techniques or materials did El Lissitzky use?
    El Lissitzky, trained as an engineer and architect, employed a range of techniques and materials in his art. He is known for his "Prouns" (projects for the affirmation of the new), which combined lines, planar shapes, and volumetric elements. Lissitzky integrated three-dimensional elements into his compositions, using "bars", "plates", and "cubes". He mixed perspectives, constructing forms with different vanishing points. This created a sense of spatial disharmony. His work often featured geometric objects painted in delicate colours, creating an illusion of depth. He worked across painting, sculpture, typography, and exhibition design. In 1923[7], he experimented with new typographic design for Vladimir Mayakovsky's book *Dlya golosa* (*For the Voice*). Lissitzky also designed costumes, exhibitions, posters, and books. In his designs, he favoured drafted exactitude, seeing it as a sign of economy and realism. He stopped painting in the mid-1920s to focus on typography and exhibitions.
  • Who did El Lissitzky influence?
    El Lissitzky's theories and designs had an impact on the development of graphic design, exhibition display, and photomontage. His work with asymmetrical layouts, geometric forms, and photomontage influenced designers associated with the Bauhaus and De Stijl movements. Lissitzky's exhibition designs, such as the Pressa International Press Exhibition of 1928[7] in Cologne, were innovative. These designs integrated architecture and graphic elements to create immersive environments. His approach affected exhibition design in the mid-20th century and later. His theories, as expressed in writings and lectures, promoted the idea of the artist as a constructor, actively shaping the environment. This concept resonated with architects and designers who sought to integrate art with technology and industry. Constructivism, the movement with which Lissitzky is associated, influenced graphic design through its emphasis on clarity, functionality, and the use of typography as a visual element. His influence is visible in the work of Jan Tschichold and other figures who promoted the New Typography.
  • Who influenced El Lissitzky?
    El Lissitzky's artistic development involved several influences. He studied architecture in Darmstadt, Germany, from 1909[7] to 1914. In 1919, Marc Chagall invited Lissitzky and Kazimir Malevich to teach at the Vitebsk Art Institute. There, Lissitzky came under Malevich's influence and absorbed the principles of Suprematism. Lissitzky then extended Suprematism, adding a Constructivist sense of calculated structure and three-dimensionality. He invented Proun (Project for the Affirmation of the New), an art form that extended the Suprematist style. Lissitzky also designed costumes, exhibitions, posters, and books. His work with typography design and agit-prop (agitation-and-propaganda) demonstrated a move towards utilitarian art. While living in Germany in the 1920s, he influenced the Dutch De Stijl group and artists associated with the German Bauhaus. He collaborated with Kurt Schwitters and Jean Arp in 1924.
  • What is El Lissitzky's most famous work?
    El Lissitzky is best known for his series of abstract geometric paintings, prints, and drawings titled *Proun*. The *Proun* works, begun around 1919[7], explore the possibilities of a non-objective visual language. The term *Proun* was an acronym for "Project for the Affirmation of the New" in Russian[7]. Lissitzky conceived of *Proun* not as a specific style or movement, but as an attitude toward art making. He saw the *Proun* works as transfer stations between painting and architecture. The early *Proun* compositions are mostly monochromatic, using a limited palette of black, red, and grey. Later examples introduced more colour and texture. Lissitzky applied *Proun* principles to a range of projects, including exhibition design, typography, and propaganda. For example, his 1919 poster "Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge" uses *Proun* elements to convey a political message. He also designed *Proun* environments, such as the *Proun Room* of 1923, which translated the two-dimensional *Proun* compositions into three-dimensional space. The *Proun* aesthetic influenced the development of Constructivism and other abstract movements in the 1920s.

Sources

Where to See guide aggregates verified holdings of El Lissitzky's works across the following collections.

  1. [1] museum Institut Valencià d'Art Modern Used for: museum holdings.
  2. [2] museum Van Abbemuseum Used for: museum holdings.
  3. [3] museum Sprengel Museum Used for: museum holdings.
  4. [4] museum Cleveland Museum of Art Used for: museum holdings.
  5. [5] museum National Gallery of Art Used for: museum holdings.
  6. [6] museum Museum Wiesbaden Used for: museum holdings.
  7. [7] wikipedia Wikipedia: El Lissitzky Used for: biography.
  8. [8] book guggenheim-handboo00pegg Used for: biography.
  9. [9] book guggenheim-masterp00solo Used for: biography.
  10. [10] book Masterpieces of western art : a history of art in 900 individual studies from the Gothic to the present day Used for: biography.

Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-06-18. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.

Editorial standardsMethodologyCorrectionsAI disclosureAbout the editorial teamCitation ledger

Keep exploring

Discover Art Artists, movements and museums Art Movements From the Renaissance to now Museums Where to see art worldwide
Back to El Lissitzky