FINOGENOV, Konstantin.

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V novom Kitae ("In the New China"). First edition, first printing, of this album commemorating the visit of the first Soviet art delegation to socialist China in autumn 1949. Despite a seemingly generous print run of 10,000 copies, we have traced just 7 locations via WorldCat and other copies have not been previously encountered in commerce. This album marks a warm period in Sino-Soviet relations before ideological and geopolitical tensions derailed the cause of global fraternal communism.Konstantin Finogenov (1902-1989) was a Soviet propaganda artist and holder of the Stalin Prize of the second degree, making him a natural participant in the 1949 delegation. Unsurprisingly, his drawings glorify the Chinese Communist Party's cause, accentuate the noble pains and sacrifices required when making revolution, and stress the excitement accompanying the arrival of "New China". The first quarter of the album is dominated by drawings of Mao and other party leaders in various fitting situations such as discussing battle plans or standing atop the Great Wall, while the odd portrait of Stalin hanging on a wall or a poster board alludes to the close alliance between Moscow and Beijing. Several drawings are of historical events such as the 1921 founding of the Chinese Communist Party or the 1934 Long March, and Finogenov may have based these on artwork he saw while in China. Sketches of ordinary people including soldiers, farmers and city dwellers emphasise the broad support for the new c

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