Yevgeny Khaldei’s iconic WWII images exhibited in Moscow

Victory Banner over the Reichstag. Berlin. 1945. / Photo: Multimedia Art Museum Moscow

A retrospective of the famous photojournalist Yevgeny Khaldei opened on April 5 at the Multimedia Art Museum in Moscow. The 200 pictures on display trace Soviet history from the early days of World War II to everyday life in the 1970s and 80s.

Pictures taken by Russia’s most illustrious photographer, whose awards include the title Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (“Knight of the Order of Arts and Literature”) at the 1995 International Photojournalism Festival of Perpignan, France, have appeared in newspapers and magazines all around the world. That year especially, 1995, the 50th anniversary of Victory Day, saw countless reprints of his images.

Born in 1917, Khaldei taught himself the art of photography. At the age of 14, he became a photographer at a local factory, and at 16 he was invited to work for the newspaper Stalinist Worker. In the summer of 1937, the young photographer joined TASS, the main Soviet news agency. There he produced reports from across the entire USSR. When WW2 broke out, he found employment with various publications and worked as a teacher. He held solo exhibitions in Europe and the U.S. Today’s retrospective in Moscow is timed to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of the great lensman.

The exhibition runs till June 6.

A friendly soccer game between Soviet and British pilots. Arctic. 1942 / Photo: Multimedia Art Museum Moscow

Lunch at a kindergarten by the sea. Sevastopol. 1944. / Photo: Multimedia Art Museum Moscow

Father Lomakin against the backdrop of St. Isaac’s Cathedral. Leningrad. 1945. / Photo: Multimedia Art Museum Moscow

“Why are we fighting?” asks a blind man. Berlin. 1945. / Photo: Multimedia Art Museum Moscow

Nazi flags hurled to the ground. Victory Parade. Moscow. June 24, 1945. / Photo: Multimedia Art Museum Moscow

Headwear of Potsdam Conference participants. July. 1945. / Photo: Multimedia Art Museum Moscow

The Potsdam Conference. July. 1945. / Photo: Multimedia Art Museum Moscow

War criminals at the Nuremberg trials. Nuremberg. 1946. / Photo: Multimedia Art Museum Moscow

Vovka’s neighbor. Morning in Moscow. 1956. / Photo: Multimedia Art Museum Moscow

Read more: Greatest photos of War and Victory by Yevgeny Khaldei

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