Arkady Shaikhet

His images were used for their covers from the magazine's first issue. Shaikhet was one of the founders (together with journalist Mikhail Koltsov) of Soviet Photo in 1926. Starting in 1930 he contributed to USSR in Construction, another Soviet journal. During the Second World War he created a series of images of the Battle of Stalingrad and later of liberation of Kiev, Ukraine. The Sovfoto agency, which from 1932 distributed Soviet photography in the West, holds examples of his photojournalism.

Work by Arkady Shaikhet is recorded in the collections of Museum of Modern Art and Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. Distinctions recorded are Order of the Red Banner, Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class, Medal "For the Defence of Moscow" and Medal "For the Defence of Stalingrad".

• Name — Arkady Shaikhet • Birth Name — Avrom Shmulevitch • Born — 12 September 1898 • Birthplace — Nikolayev, Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire • Died — 18 November 1959 • Place of death — Moscow, USSR • Field — photography, photojournalism

Born on August 28 (September 9), 1898 in Mykolajiv (now Ukraine) into a poor Jewish family: his father sold draft beer, his mother ran a small sewing workshop. Graduated from 4th grade of primary school. He was unable to enter the gymnasium due to the educational qualifications for his father that were formed in those years, so he began working as a mechanic’s assistant at the Nikolaev Shipyard. During the Civil War he served in the Red Army in a brass band. During his service he suffered from severe typhus with heart complications.

• 2012, Arkadiy Shaikhet, Continuation 1928-1931, Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow • 2014 — “Arkady Shaikhet. Photographs 1932-1941" Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow. • 11.III—10.IV.2016 — “Arkady Shaikhet. 1945-1959. Episode 4” Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow.