Mayakovsky Museum

We had district conference on Saturday and Sunday, October 25 and 26, at the Central Building. Sam and I attended the Saturday meeting with the Moscow West Mission at 6:30, but earlier in the afternoon we met the other senior couples from the Moscow Mission and had lunch and then went to the Mayakovsky Museum.

At the entrance of the Mayakovsky Museum
(Narene, Greg & Chris, Clark & Renee)

Mayakovsky is known for his poetry, numerous prose works, and his political cartoons. He is perhaps Russia's most famous Futurist poet. He was born in 1893 in Georgia, but moved to Moscow in 1906 with his mother and two sisters after his father died.

The crooked chairs in the room where
we checked our coats was a preview of the
asymmetrical images yet to come.

This is one of the numerous displays.
It features pieces of furniture, sketches, and
objects to form a themed collage.


Mayakovsky's political cartoon posters, art work,
original manuscripts, and photographs of the poet
were assembled by artists and architects
into unorthodox displays as if the visitor
were wandering through Mayakovsky's brain.
The sign at the right say "Good" in Russian cryllic.

These displays are on several floors in the communal apartment building where Mayakovsky moved into one of the rooms in 1919 and lived intermittenly until 1930 when he took his own life. We were shown one small room on the fourth floor with a desk and couch which is said to be preserved as when Mayakovsky lived there. This room was unlocked by the lady supervising the floor for visitors to see it and then locked again. These ladies on each level spoke Russian but seemed pleased to tell us about the displays, and one lady was especially enthusiastic and accommodating.

It doesn't show up well in the picture, but this
was a sculpture of an airplane with pictures of
fellow writers of Mayakovsky's time as passengers.
The propellers are small upside down airplanes.


Mayakovsky attended the Moscow School for
Painting and Sculpture where he became
interested in the Futurist movement.

He was a supporter of Bolsheviks, and his work published immediately preceding the Russian Revolution established his reputation as a poet in Russia and abroad. Near the end of the 1920's, however, he became increasingly disillusioned with Bolshevism and propaganda.

Mayskovsky committed suicide in 1930
and is buried in Novodevichy Cemetery.


The senior couples had lunch at this "American"
diner; but the $20 hamburger, fries, and poor
substitute for a milk shakeshake did not
measure up to McDonalds for only $5.00.
However, the company was great as usual.