Aleksey Shchusev

Lenin’s Tomb, drawing for the first version, January 1924

Lenin’s Tomb, construction works on January 27, 1924

Lenin’s Tomb January 1924, first wooden version

Aleksey Shchusev: Lenin’s Tomb, 2nd version, drawing, 1924

Lenin’s Tomb, second version, construction works, August 1924

Lenin’s Tomb, second version, finished autumn 1924

Shchusev’s career as an architect started out with an traditionalist approach, but during the 1920s he turned to constructivism, teaching at the Vkchutemas. When Lenin died he was appointed to make proposals for the tomb, which he created through combining constructivist elements with those of ancient tombs. The first two versions were build from wood, to be replaced by a marble/granite version in 1930. Shuchev subsequently became director of the Tretyakov gallery and headed among others the designs of the Hotel Moscow and the Lubyanka NKVD headquarter. His approach became much more consistent with the Stalinist totalitarian style through the 1930s, by blending traditional Russian styles with a neoclassical approach.