KUPRIYANOV Mikhail Vasilyevich

October 8 (21), 1903 (Tetyushi, Kazan province) — November 11, 1991 (Moscow)

Graphic artist, painter

Mikhail Kupriyanov studied at the Central art workshops in Tashkent (1920–1921), at the Higher State Artistic and Technical Workshops (VKhUTEMAS) — the Higher Art Technical Institute (VKhUTEIN) in Moscow (1921–1929), at the faculty of graphic arts under the guidance of N. N. Kupreyanov, P. V. Miturich, and P. I. L’vov.

Since 1922 Kupriyanov worked in co-authorship with N. P. Krylov, under the pseudonyms Kukry and Krykup; since 1924 — in co-authorship with Krylov and N. A. Sokolov. Kupriyanov was engaged in satirical graphic art, political caricature, poster art, and book illustration. He worked for the newspapers Komsomolskaya Pravda (“Komsomol Truth”, Komsomol is Communist Union of  Youth), Literaturnaya Gazeta (“Literary Newspaper”), Pravda (“Truth”), Krasnaya Zvezda (“Red Star”), the magazines Prozhektor (“Searchlight”), Krokodil (“Crocodile”), Smekhach (“Laugher”), Smena (“Shift”). During the Great Patriotic War he collaborated with the Windows of TASS (the Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union). Kupriyanov drew illustrations to many works by I. A. Ilf and E. P. Petrov, M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, A. P. Chekhov, A. M. Gorky, M. de Cervantes, and M. A. Sholokhov.

The artist also worked as a landscape painter (individually); he painted views of Moscow, Genichesk on the Sea of Azov, the Crimea, Italy, and France.

Kupriyanov participated in exhibitions since 1919. He showed his works at the exhibition of graduating works of students of the printing faculty at the VKhUTEIN in Moscow (1929), the exhibition of painting, drawing and graphics by Moscow artists in Kharkov (1932; travelling exhibition) and many others.

In 1947 Kupriyanov was conferred the title of the full member of the USSR Academy of Arts, in 1958 — the title of the People’s Artists of the USSR, in 1973 — the title of the Hero of Socialist Labour.

Kupriyanov was buried in the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow.

Works by Mikhail Kupriyanov are in many museum collections, including the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum and others.