Ilia Golosov

Born July 19 (31), 1883, in Moscow; died there Jan. 29, 1945. Soviet architect.

Golosov studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture (1907–12 and at the St. Petersburg Academy of Art (1912–15). Seeking new architectural forms that would express the fervor of the revolutionary period, Golosov abandoned oversimplified classicism (1918–19) in favor of a dynamic style employing asymmetrical geometric forms, such as the competitive designs for the Palace of Labor (1923) and for the branch building of the newspaper Leningradskaia Pravda (1924), both in Moscow. Golosov was a member of the Society of Contemporary Architects. He developed new types of residential and public buildings, including houses of soviets, workers’ clubs, and commune houses, and created a number of expensive designs in the constructivist manner, such as the House of Soviets in Alma-Ata (1927, not constructed) and the Zuev Club in Moscow (1928). In the 1930’s he returned to the classical style. From 1919 to 1945, Golosov taught at the Free Art Workshops, at the Moscow Vkhutemas and Vkhutein, and at the Moscow Institute of Architecture.