Stalin's Architect

More about the book

What would an architect sacrifice for the chance to build the tallest building in the world and survive Stalin’s purges? This first major publication on Boris Iofan (1891–1976), state architect to Joseph Stalin, offers a compelling insight into the complex relationship between successful architects and power. A talented designer and devoted Communist, Iofan rose to prominence after being persuaded to return to Moscow from Rome with his wife, Olga Sasso-Ruffo. His work is essential to understanding Soviet official culture, especially after Stalin’s regime suppressed the architectural avant-garde. Iofan established a new national style, exemplified by significant projects like the House on the Embankment, a vast residential complex for the elite, and the ambitious, unbuilt Palace of the Soviets, a baroque Stalinist vision widely disseminated across the USSR. His career spanned cities like New York and Paris, and he engaged with notable figures such as Frank Lloyd Wright, while contending with rivals like Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius. Though he witnessed the execution of friends, including Rykov, Iofan adhered strictly to Stalin’s directives in crafting the regime’s architectural landmarks. Richly illustrated with unpublished materials, this book explores architecture as a tool of statecraft and provides a unique perspective on pivotal moments in 20th-century politics and culture, alongside the personal narrative of a remarkab