"Society of Monkeys" diploma
Aleksei Remizov
Russian, 1877–1957
1922
A mock diploma by Aleksei Remizov—made with watercolor, ink, pasted colored and metallic papers, and crayon—that stages a playful, satirical certificate for a fictional “Society of Monkeys,” blending calligraphy and collage to parody official documents.
At first glance a shiny gold triangle over red strips and a bold magenta zigzag command attention, while a dense block of hand-lettered Cyrillic, a circular red seal with writhing, monkey-like figures, and sweeping ornamental pen flourishes give the sheet a theatrical, calligraphic energy.
The work is a compact example of the Russian avant-garde’s experiments in text-image play and collage—using parody, medieval and folk letterforms, and found papers to challenge bureaucratic authority and expand the expressive possibilities of graphic art in the early twentieth century.
Medium
Watercolor, ink, cut-and-pasted colored and metallic papers and colored crayon
Dimensions
sheet (irreg.): 9 7/16 x 12 1/2" (23.9 x 31.8 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of The Judith Rothschild Foundation
Accession
2.2001
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
