November 30, 2012 – January 20, 2013: The exhibition “Soviet Design 1950-1980” is going to take place in the Moscow Design Museum which is now located in the Manege. The visitors of the exhibition will have the chance of seeing the best samples of industrial products manufactured in the USSR. 



The vacuum-cleaner “Chaika” (“Seagull”) was manufactured since 1963 at “Communar” factory, USSR. There were more than 2.5 mln items manufactured. The item is from the collection of the Moscow Museum. 

The official notice of the exhibition

When showing the foreign journalists the famous clock-face design of his watch “Rocket” M. Gorbachev used to say that perestroika was “the start of life from scratch”. But is starting everything from scratch and burying in oblivion the experience of previous generations really worth it? And what can we learn today from the Soviet industrial design?

Now the time has come to look at the best examples of the Soviet industrial and graphic design, applied arts and apparel. These are not simply nice retro objects but rather the result of a systematic, functional, esthetic and humanitarian approach to design. The sections of the exhibitions present different aspects of life and material culture of the Soviet people: childhood, hobby & leisure, sports, education & science, industrial production and domestic life.  

There will be items from the collections of state museums, as well as unique pieces from private collections which have been kindly presented by the designers and their families. There were video interviews with the leading Soviet designers (such as Y. Soloviev, V. Askopov, V. Runge, I. Zaitsev, S. Mirzoyan, V. Anisimov, A. Ermolayev, etc.) taken especially for this event. All printed and media materials will be translated into English so that the foreigners could receive the information about the Soviet design straight from the source. 

Address: Manege Square, 1The exhibition is in the Central Show-room “Manege” from 12.00 till 22.00The website of the Moscow Design Museum http://www.moscowdesignmuseum.ru


Portable wired bag for eggs, from the collection of the Moscow Design Museum


Container for sewing notions, plastic & metal, 1960s, USSR, from the collection of the Moscow Design Museum


Radio “Surprise”, USSR, from the collection of the Moscow Design Museum


“Nevalyashka” (Weeble Wobble), USSR, from the collection of the Moscow Design Museum


Soda-fountain, glass & metal, USSR, from the collection of the Moscow Design Museum


Desk lamp “Raduga 1-80” (Rainbow 1-80), late 1970s, USSR, from the collection of the Moscow Design Museum


Domestic scales, USSR, from the collection of the Moscow Design Museum