Two anthologies of poetry and prose by prominent artists of the Futurism and Imaginism movements in Russia. Moscow, 1915/1919. Russian. Cover designs by Aristarkh Lentulov.
1. Весеннее контрагентство муз [The Vernal Agency of the Muses], Futurist anthology edited by David Burliuk and Samuil Vermel. Moscow, 1915.
The anthology features poems and prose by Vasily Kamensky, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Nikolai Burliuk, Nikolai Aseev, Boris Pasternak and others, alongside illustrations by David Burliuk; print plate reproducing in color a sketch drawn by Aristarkh Lentulov for the set of a play by Vladimir Mayakovsky; and more.
[3]-107, [5] pp + [1] plate, 27 cm. Lacking first leaf. Good-fair overall condition. Stains. Tears to edges of several leaves. Large tears to last two leaves, some open and restored with paper; one reinforced with tape. Stained cover, with tears (spine and additional parts of the cover lacking, restored with paper; affecting text).
2. Явь, Стихи [Reality, Poems]. Moscow, 1919.
Anthology of poems by poets of the Imaginist movement – a Russian avant-garde poetic movement founded in Moscow in 1918, challenging the Futurist movement. The anthology, published approximately concurrently with the movement's manifesto, contains poems by Vadim Shershenevich, Ryurik Ivnev, Sergei Yesenin, Anatoly Mariengof and others.
69 pp, 26.5 cm. Thick paper. Good condition. Stains. Uneven edges. Stains and tears to cover (lacking spine and other parts of cover; restored with paper).
The covers of both booklets were designed by Aristarkh Lentulov (Аристарх Лентулов, 1882-1943), a Russian painter and scenic designer, a member of the avant-garde group "Jack of Diamods" founded in Moscow in 1910.
Provenance: The collection of Uzi Agassi.

Сергею Есенину [To Sergei Yesenin], by Vladimir Mayakovsky. Published by Заккнига (Zakniga); printed in Tbilisi (Georgia), 1926. Russian.
The poem written by Vladimir Mayakovsky in memory of poet Sergei Yesenin who committed suicide in December 1925. Cover design and two photomontage works by Alexander Rodchenko.
15, [1] pp, 17.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Creases and dampstains on the cover and throughout the booklet (dark stains on several pages). Minor blemishes to cover.
Vladimir Mayakovsky (1893-1930), a poet and playwright, born in Georgia, one of the leading Futurist poets in Soviet Russia. In 1906, he moved with his family to Moscow, where he became acquainted with revolutionary circles and joined the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party. His first poems, so he recalled, were written in the Butyrka prison where he was imprisoned for eleven months in total seclusion. After his release, he decided to focus on literary writing and in 1912 his first two published poems – "Night" and "Morning", appeared in the Futurists' manifesto "A Slap in the Face of Public Taste" (Пощёчина общественному вкусу). In 1915, he first met publisher Osip Brik. Brik became his literary patron and his wife, Lily Brik, became the love of Mayakovsky's life and a source of inspiration for his poetry. After the outbreak of the October Revolution, Mayakovsky adopted a radical ideology and became the poet who was most identified with Soviet Russia. During this period, he edited LEF – the journal of the Left Front of the Arts. Although he was considered at the time a poet-propagandist who lends his talent to the service of the party and its leaders, the influence of Mayakovsky's poetry reached way beyond the borders of Soviet Russia, inspiring among others the Hebrew poets Alexander Penn and Avraham Shlonsky (who were scorned by their opponents as "Little Mayakovskys"). Mayakovsky took his own life on April 14, 1930, putting a bullet through his heart. In a letter he left behind, he wrote: "Please do not gossip. The deceased disliked that sort of thing terribly".
Alexander Mikhailovich Rodchenko (1891-1956) – a Russian artist, graphic designer, sculptor and photographer, a member of the Constructivist movement. Rodchenko studied art in Kazan (Tatarstan) and Moscow. In his early days, he was inspired by Cubism and Futurism; yet later was influenced by the Suprematism and the geometric abstraction of Kandinsky and Malevich. Rodchenko was a student of Vladimir Tatlin, and also his assistant. In 1916 he participated in an exhibition curated by Tatlin. In 1919, under Tatlin's influence, he started creating three-dimensional works made of a variety of materials (wood, metal and more), characterized by integrated geometrical forms, forming airy and dynamic compositions.
During the 1920s, he worked regularly with the poet Vladimir Mayakovsky, illustrating his books, and contributed photographs and illustrations to the issues of "LEF", as well as to books and publications by other writers, members of the Russian avant-garde movements; he also regularly published his photographs in the press.
Rodchenko is considered one of the most versatile artists of Russian avant-garde: he was one of the leaders of the Productivist group, which advocated the incorporation of art into everyday life, and subsequently, turned also to applied arts and furniture design; later, he became engaged in the art of photography and photomontage (he is considered one of the pioneers of the field), designed posters, illustrated books, worked as a graphic artist and designed theater and cinema sets.
Provenance: The Uzi Agassi Collection.