Roman Klein
Encyclopedia
Roman Ivanovich Klein born Robert Julius Klein, was a Russia
n architect
and educator, best known for his Neoclassical
Pushkin Museum
in Moscow
. Klein, an eclectic, was one of the most prolific architects of his period, second only to Fyodor Schechtel
. In 1880s-1890s, he practiced Russian Revival
and Neo-Gothic
exteriors; in 1900s, his knowledge of Roman and Byzantine classical architecture allowed him to integrate into the Neoclassical revival trend of that period.
(1873–1874), with Vladimir Sherwood
on the construction site of State Historical Museum
(1875–1877), and at the Imperial Academy of Arts
(1877–1882), winning a study tour to Italy
and France
(1883–1884), where he assisted Charles Garnier
in preparation to the Exposition Universelle (1889)
. Klein returned to Moscow in 1885, worked as junior architect at local firms and went independent in 1888.
, awarded first prize to Pyotr Boytsov; Klein used Boytsov's general layout but the exterior and interior styling is Klein's own, undisputed work. His knowledge of Greek and Byzantine classics was evident, however, the University also wanted perfection in other historical interiors (Egyptian, Babylonian) and sent Klein on two overseas study tours (1897, 1899–1900). Klein had studied the latest forms of museum construction in Europe
, and he built a temple to the arts that expressed civic pride and private patronage, thus pleasing his benefactor, Nechaev-Maltsov
, and creating what Lukomskii would have called approvingly a "European" building, noticeably different from the public and commercial buildings whose neoclassicism derived from the local Empire style. Klein employed Vladimir Shukhov
for structural engineering
of ceilings and sunroofs, Ivan Rerberg
and other younger architects. The museum was generally complete by 1907; finishing works and expansions lasted to 1912.
Klein was in high demand among Moscow businessmen expanding their retail and warehouse facilities. He completed such high profile buildings like Neo-Gothic TsUM department store (1906–1908, originally, Moor and Merilise store) in Petrovka Street
and pseudo-Russian Middle Trade Rows in Kitai-gorod
(1901–1902). Klein also completed a number of banks and office blocks in Kitai-gorod
and other districts of Moscow.
Less known is his prodigious input to industrial architecture; Klein was the house architect for Moscow industrialists like Giroud, Huebner (textile and rubber mills in Khamovniki District) and Gougon (steel mills in Lefortovo District
). His lesser customers ranged from country farms and breweries to Moscow' first aircraft plant (Khrunichev
). Most of these buildings, with few exceptions, were later rebuilt or demolished.
Klein contributed to the Devichye Pole
campus project, building the Cancer Clinic, Gynaecology Clinic and student dormitories in 1896-1903; his own house and rental apartment building were located in nearby Olsufyevsky Lane. He designed numerous Orthodox, Lutheran and Catholic churches in Moscow and other cities and supervised construction of Moscow Choral Synagogue
(designed by Semyon Eybushits). As a private architect to Shelaputin family, he completed various Shelaputin Schools (for general and professional education).
or Lev Kekushev
(Maria Naschokina, p. 255). All his work belong to eclecticism, which was normal for 1880s but completely outdated by 1900s. This may be interpreted as either loyalty to his personal style, or as inability to follow the novel trends of his period. Klein had his limitations, but his immense academic background and drawing skills allowed him to imitate styles like Victorian architecture
or Russian Revival
. His buildings like Nekrasov House are sometimes listed as Art Nouveau
, but Klein actually did not venture into this style. After 1905, when public discarded Art Nouveau
, his neoclassical skills put him in the middle of Neoclassical Revival of 1905-1914.
(Yevlanov brothers), industrial architecture (Karl Gippius), Neoclassical revival (Ivan Rerberg
) and later constructivist architecture
(Grigory Barkhin). Klein treated these internships as his own educational work, not just hiring labor. He advocated "finding out the unique, individual features of a trainee architect, and bringing up his own creative conscience" ("выявление индивидуальности проектирующего ... и в воспитании в нем художественного самосознания", Maria Naschokina, p. 257), and promoted the French model of architectural workshops.
In 1900s, Klein was active in preservationism movement, performing surveys of historical buildings (notably, Domenico Giliardi
's University building); publication of his books about these studies was interrupted by World War I
.
Unlike other architects of his generation, Klein easily integrated into the Soviet reality of Civil War period
- he retained his formal employment as an architect of Historical and Pushkin Museums and the chair at Moscow State Technical University and even received practical (but unimportant) commissions in 1922-1923. He took part in the architectural competitions of early 1920s, side by side with the new generation of avant-garde
architects.
Roman Klein died in 1924 and is interred at the former German now - Vvedenskoye Cemetery in Lefortovo District
.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and educator, best known for his Neoclassical
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
Pushkin Museum
Pushkin Museum
The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts is the largest museum of European art in Moscow, located in Volkhonka street, just opposite the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour....
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. Klein, an eclectic, was one of the most prolific architects of his period, second only to Fyodor Schechtel
Fyodor Schechtel
Fyodor Osipovich Schechtel was a Russian architect, graphic artist and stage designer, the most influential and prolific master of Russian Art Nouveau and late Russian Revival....
. In 1880s-1890s, he practiced Russian Revival
Russian Revival
The Russian Revival style is the generic term for a number of different movements within Russian architecture that arose in second quarter of the 19th century and was an eclectic melding of pre-Peterine Russian architecture and elements of Byzantine architecture.The Russian Revival style arose...
and Neo-Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
exteriors; in 1900s, his knowledge of Roman and Byzantine classical architecture allowed him to integrate into the Neoclassical revival trend of that period.
Education
Klein was born in a wealthy merchant family. He trained at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and ArchitectureMoscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture
The Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture was one of the largest educational institutions in Russia. The school was formed by the 1865 merger of a private art college, established in Moscow in 1832, and the Palace School of Architecture, established in 1749 by Dmitry Ukhtomsky. By...
(1873–1874), with Vladimir Sherwood
Vladimir Osipovich Sherwood
Vladimir Osipovich Sherwood was a Russian architect who worked in Moscow. He was an Eclectics and Russian Revival practitioner, author of the State Historical Museum in Moscow. He was the son of Joseph Sherwood, an English engineer hired to build canals in Russia; the father died when Vladimir...
on the construction site of State Historical Museum
State Historical Museum
The State Historical Museum of Russia is a museum of Russian history wedged between Red Square and Manege Square in Moscow. Its exhibitions range from relics of the prehistoric tribes inhabiting present-day Russia, through priceless artworks acquired by members of the Romanov dynasty...
(1875–1877), and at the Imperial Academy of Arts
Imperial Academy of Arts
The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, was founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov under the name Academy of the Three Noblest Arts. Catherine the Great renamed it the Imperial Academy of Arts and commissioned a new building, completed 25 years later in 1789...
(1877–1882), winning a study tour to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(1883–1884), where he assisted Charles Garnier
Charles Garnier (architect)
Charles Garnier was a French architect, perhaps best known as the architect of the Palais Garnier and the Opéra de Monte-Carlo.-Early life:...
in preparation to the Exposition Universelle (1889)
Exposition Universelle (1889)
The Exposition Universelle of 1889 was a World's Fair held in Paris, France from 6 May to 31 October 1889.It was held during the year of the 100th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, an event traditionally considered as the symbol for the beginning of the French Revolution...
. Klein returned to Moscow in 1885, worked as junior architect at local firms and went independent in 1888.
Pushkin Museum
Most of Klein's professional career revolved around the 16-year Pushkin Museum project. The public contest of 1896, managed by Moscow State UniversityMoscow State University
Lomonosov Moscow State University , previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be one of the oldest university in Russia and to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy...
, awarded first prize to Pyotr Boytsov; Klein used Boytsov's general layout but the exterior and interior styling is Klein's own, undisputed work. His knowledge of Greek and Byzantine classics was evident, however, the University also wanted perfection in other historical interiors (Egyptian, Babylonian) and sent Klein on two overseas study tours (1897, 1899–1900). Klein had studied the latest forms of museum construction in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and he built a temple to the arts that expressed civic pride and private patronage, thus pleasing his benefactor, Nechaev-Maltsov
Yury Nechaev-Maltsov
Nechaev-Maltsov Yury Stepanovich was leading glassware manufacturer in Russia, Landlord, patron of arts, and the major private donor to the Pushkin Museum. He owned a number of shops in Moscow and St. Petersburg where the glassware produced by his factories of Gus-Khrustalny was sold...
, and creating what Lukomskii would have called approvingly a "European" building, noticeably different from the public and commercial buildings whose neoclassicism derived from the local Empire style. Klein employed Vladimir Shukhov
Vladimir Shukhov
Vladimir Grigoryevich Shukhov , was a Russian engineer-polymath, scientist and architect renowned for his pioneering works on new methods of analysis for structural engineering that led to breakthroughs in industrial design of world's first hyperboloid structures, lattice shell structures, tensile...
for structural engineering
Structural engineering
Structural engineering is a field of engineering dealing with the analysis and design of structures that support or resist loads. Structural engineering is usually considered a specialty within civil engineering, but it can also be studied in its own right....
of ceilings and sunroofs, Ivan Rerberg
Ivan Rerberg
Ivan Ivanovich Rerberg was a Russian civil engineer, architect and educator active in Moscow in 1897–1932. Rerberg's input to present-day Moscow include Kiyevsky Rail Terminal, Central Telegraph building and the Administration building of Moscow Kremlin...
and other younger architects. The museum was generally complete by 1907; finishing works and expansions lasted to 1912.
Commercial success
Petrovka Street
Petrovka Street is a street in Moscow, Russia, that runs north from Kuznetsky Most and Theatral Square up past Strastnoy Boulevard and Petrovsky Boulevard....
and pseudo-Russian Middle Trade Rows in Kitai-gorod
Kitai-gorod
Kitay-gorod , earlier also known as Great Posad , is a business district within Moscow, Russia, encircled by mostly-reconstructed medieval walls. It is separated from the Moscow Kremlin by Red Square. It does not constitute a district , as there are no resident voters, thus, municipal elections...
(1901–1902). Klein also completed a number of banks and office blocks in Kitai-gorod
Kitai-gorod
Kitay-gorod , earlier also known as Great Posad , is a business district within Moscow, Russia, encircled by mostly-reconstructed medieval walls. It is separated from the Moscow Kremlin by Red Square. It does not constitute a district , as there are no resident voters, thus, municipal elections...
and other districts of Moscow.
Less known is his prodigious input to industrial architecture; Klein was the house architect for Moscow industrialists like Giroud, Huebner (textile and rubber mills in Khamovniki District) and Gougon (steel mills in Lefortovo District
Lefortovo District
Lefortovo District is a district of South-Eastern Administrative Okrug of Moscow, Russia. Population: It is named after a close associate of Tsar Peter the Great Franz Lefort, whose troops were stationed nearby at the German Quarter. The district is considered to be founded in 1699. In the 18th...
). His lesser customers ranged from country farms and breweries to Moscow' first aircraft plant (Khrunichev
Khrunichev
Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center is a Moscow-based producer of spacecraft and space-launch systems, including the Proton and Rokot rockets. The company's history dates back to 1916, when an automobile factory was established outside Moscow...
). Most of these buildings, with few exceptions, were later rebuilt or demolished.
Klein contributed to the Devichye Pole
Devichye Pole
Devichye Pole is a historical medical campus, built in 1887-1897 in Khamovniki District of Moscow, Russia, to the master plan of Konstantin Bykovski. It is located between the Garden Ring and Novodevichy Convent...
campus project, building the Cancer Clinic, Gynaecology Clinic and student dormitories in 1896-1903; his own house and rental apartment building were located in nearby Olsufyevsky Lane. He designed numerous Orthodox, Lutheran and Catholic churches in Moscow and other cities and supervised construction of Moscow Choral Synagogue
Moscow Choral Synagogue
The Moscow Choral Synagogue is the main synagogue in Russia and in the former Soviet Union. It is located in central Basmanny District at 10, Bolshoy Spasogolinischevsky Lane, close to Kitai-Gorod Metro station. Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt is the spiritual head of this Synagogue.-History:The...
(designed by Semyon Eybushits). As a private architect to Shelaputin family, he completed various Shelaputin Schools (for general and professional education).
Critical assessment
Modern critics place Klein's talent below his contemporaries like Fyodor SchechtelFyodor Schechtel
Fyodor Osipovich Schechtel was a Russian architect, graphic artist and stage designer, the most influential and prolific master of Russian Art Nouveau and late Russian Revival....
or Lev Kekushev
Lev Kekushev
Lev Nikolayevich Kekushev was a Russian architect, notable for his Art Nouveau buildings in Moscow, built in the 1890s and early 1900s in the original, Franco-Belgian variety of this style...
(Maria Naschokina, p. 255). All his work belong to eclecticism, which was normal for 1880s but completely outdated by 1900s. This may be interpreted as either loyalty to his personal style, or as inability to follow the novel trends of his period. Klein had his limitations, but his immense academic background and drawing skills allowed him to imitate styles like Victorian architecture
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
or Russian Revival
Russian Revival
The Russian Revival style is the generic term for a number of different movements within Russian architecture that arose in second quarter of the 19th century and was an eclectic melding of pre-Peterine Russian architecture and elements of Byzantine architecture.The Russian Revival style arose...
. His buildings like Nekrasov House are sometimes listed as Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
, but Klein actually did not venture into this style. After 1905, when public discarded Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
, his neoclassical skills put him in the middle of Neoclassical Revival of 1905-1914.
Educator and preservationist
Klein, a successful businessman, possessed excellent skills in educating and managing people. His architectural firm trained dozens of architects who excelled in Art NouveauArt Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
(Yevlanov brothers), industrial architecture (Karl Gippius), Neoclassical revival (Ivan Rerberg
Ivan Rerberg
Ivan Ivanovich Rerberg was a Russian civil engineer, architect and educator active in Moscow in 1897–1932. Rerberg's input to present-day Moscow include Kiyevsky Rail Terminal, Central Telegraph building and the Administration building of Moscow Kremlin...
) and later constructivist architecture
Constructivist architecture
Constructivist architecture was a form of modern architecture that flourished in the Soviet Union in the 1920s and early 1930s. It combined advanced technology and engineering with an avowedly Communist social purpose. Although it was divided into several competing factions, the movement produced...
(Grigory Barkhin). Klein treated these internships as his own educational work, not just hiring labor. He advocated "finding out the unique, individual features of a trainee architect, and bringing up his own creative conscience" ("выявление индивидуальности проектирующего ... и в воспитании в нем художественного самосознания", Maria Naschokina, p. 257), and promoted the French model of architectural workshops.
In 1900s, Klein was active in preservationism movement, performing surveys of historical buildings (notably, Domenico Giliardi
Domenico Giliardi
Domenico Gilardi , was a Swiss architect who worked primarily in Moscow, Russia in Neoclassicist style. He was one of key architects charged with rebuilding the city after the Fire of 1812...
's University building); publication of his books about these studies was interrupted by World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Unlike other architects of his generation, Klein easily integrated into the Soviet reality of Civil War period
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
- he retained his formal employment as an architect of Historical and Pushkin Museums and the chair at Moscow State Technical University and even received practical (but unimportant) commissions in 1922-1923. He took part in the architectural competitions of early 1920s, side by side with the new generation of avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
architects.
Roman Klein died in 1924 and is interred at the former German now - Vvedenskoye Cemetery in Lefortovo District
Lefortovo District
Lefortovo District is a district of South-Eastern Administrative Okrug of Moscow, Russia. Population: It is named after a close associate of Tsar Peter the Great Franz Lefort, whose troops were stationed nearby at the German Quarter. The district is considered to be founded in 1699. In the 18th...
.
Moscow
- 1885 Urusov apartment building, 13 Plotnikov Lane
- 1885-1893 Perlov trading house, 19 Myasnitskaya Street
- 1886-1888 Varvara Morozova house, 14 Vozdvizhenka
- 1888 8, Strastnoy BoulevardStrastnoy BoulevardStrastnoy Boulevard, , is a major boulevard in Moscow. It begins in the Tverskoy District by Pushkin Square, Tverskaya Street and Tverskoy Boulevard. The boulevard ends at Petrovka Street, although east of Petrovka, it becomes Petrovsky Boulevard, where it heads to Clean Ponds. The Strastnoy...
- 1888-1893 Russian and Siberian Banks, 12 Ilyinka Street
- 1890-1892 7, Varvarka Street
- 1893-1894 Snegirev House, 64 Plyuschikha Street
- 1893-1893 Devichye PoleDevichye PoleDevichye Pole is a historical medical campus, built in 1887-1897 in Khamovniki District of Moscow, Russia, to the master plan of Konstantin Bykovski. It is located between the Garden Ring and Novodevichy Convent...
clinics and dormitories - 1896-1898 Moore and Merilise department stores, 19 Kuznetsky MostKuznetsky MostKuznetsky Most is a street in central Moscow, that runs from Bolshaya Dmitrovka Street to Lubyanka Street. The name, literally Blacksmith's Bridge, refers to the 18th century bridge over Neglinnaya River, now running in an underground tunnel, and a nearby foundry and the settlement of its workers...
Street - 1896 Draft, Pushkin MuseumPushkin MuseumThe Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts is the largest museum of European art in Moscow, located in Volkhonka street, just opposite the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour....
, completed 1912 - 1898 Simon house and factory offices, 26 Shabolovka
- 1901 Shelaputin Gimnasium, 14 Kholzunov Lane
- 1890s Prokhorov factories, 13-15 Rochdelskaya Street
- 1890s Badayev Brewery, 12 Kutuzovsky ProspektKutuzovsky ProspektKutuzovsky Prospekt is a major radial avenue in Moscow, Russia, named after Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov, leader of Russian field army during the French invasion of Russia...
- 1900-1902 University dormitory, 10-12 Bolshaya Gruzinskaya
- 1901 Almshouse, 33 Shabolovka
- 1900-1903 Shelaputin School for the Women, 15-17 Leninsky Prospect
- 1905-1907 Electrical power plant, 8, Raushskaya Embankment
- 1906 Nekrasov House, 20 Khlebny Lane
- 1906-1908 TsUM department stores, 2 Petrovka Street
- 1906-1911 Completion of Moscow Choral Synagogue
- 1907-1914 5, Myasnitskaya Street
- 1907-1914 Giroud Factories, 11, Timura Frunze Street
- 1908-1913 Borodinsky BridgeBorodinsky BridgeBorodinsky Bridge is a steel plate girder bridge that spans Moskva River, connecting Dorogomilovo District and Kievsky Rail Terminal with the centre of Moscow, Russia . The bridge was built in 1911–1912 as deck arch bridge by N.I. Oskolkov, M.I. Schekotov and Roman Klein...
- 1909-1911 Shelaputin Institute and School, 16-18 Kholzunov Street
- 1900s Shelaputin School for Men, 7 Miusskaya Square
- 1900s FiliFiliA fili was a member of an elite class of poets in Ireland, up into the Renaissance, when the Irish class system was dismantled.-Elite scholars:According to the Textbook of Irish Literature, by Eleanor Hull:-Oral tradition:...
plant (KhrunichevKhrunichevKhrunichev State Research and Production Space Center is a Moscow-based producer of spacecraft and space-launch systems, including the Proton and Rokot rockets. The company's history dates back to 1916, when an automobile factory was established outside Moscow...
) - 1910 18, Lva Tolstogo
- 1912-1916 Coliseum Theater at Clean Ponds
- 1913-1918 University Expansion, 6 Mokhovaya Street
Elsewhere
- 1893-1896 Church of Our Savior Not Made by HandsChurch of Our Savior Not Made by Hands in SerpukhovChurch of Our Savior Not Made by Hands in Serpukhov is a small church in the town of Serpukhov, Moscow Oblast, Russia.The church was constructed between 1893 and 1896 to a Russian Revivalist design and was funded by Serpukhov's merchant Vasily Fyodorovich Astapov. The structure graces Zanarie, a...
, SerpukhovSerpukhovSerpukhov is a city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, which is situated at the confluence of the Oka and the Nara Rivers. It is located south from Moscow on the Moscow—Simferopol highway. The Moscow—Tula railway passes through the town. Population: -History:...