‘We Will Be on High Demand in 100 Years’

On November 21, an exhibition Lazar Khidekel opened in the Stroganov Palace of Russian Museum. It is dedicated to an architect, avant-garde artist and teacher who finished Institute of Civil Engineers and worked at Leningrad Civil Engineering Institute (future SPbGASU).

Lazar Markovich Khidekel (born Vitebsk 1904 – died Leningrad 1986) studied under the supervision of Mark Shagal, Kazimir Malevich and El Lissitzky at the Institute of Civil Engineers and graduated in 1929. He worked in Leningrad Civil Engineering Institute (future SPbGASU) as dean of faculty of Architecture. During World War II he invented a method of construction with materials at hand. Lazar Khidekel also developed frame blocks – strong construction elements which require less concrete and timber.

Mark Khidekel, son of Lazar Khidekel: ‘Kazimir Malevich once told my father “We will be on high demand in 100 years” and he was right. I am grateful to Russian Museum for this exhibition’. Mark Khidekel finished Leningrad Civil Engineering Institute and became an architect like his father. Though he does not live in Russia, he visits Saint Petersburg and SPbGASU to tell about his father and to collect information about the University and promote it abroad.

Evgenya Petrova, Deputy Director for Science in Russian Museum: ‘Only professionals know his name. For common people the exhibition is an opportunity to get acquainted with Khidekel’s creation. He was an architect from Leningrad where he constructed lots of things and he was connected with Kazimir Malevich, that is why organization of the exhibition was crucial for us. At the exhibition we show his suprematic and later artworks, architecture projects’.

Oleg Romanov, President of Saint Petersburg Union of Architects, Leningrad Civil Engineering Institute alumnus: ‘Lazar Khidekel is not only an outstanding artist and architect, but also a talented teacher. He is famous is educational sphere and this is important for our university. Lots of student project echo Khidekel’s ideas’.

The visitors can see the city of the future by Lazar Khidekel, project of Moscow cinema theatre, projects of houses on Malookhtinsky and Staro-Petergofsky projects and more.

The exhibition works till January 21, 2019 on 17 Nevsky prospect.

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