Culver City,
California
x
Maker: Aleksei Rezaev
The Kremlin Butcher and His Hatchet
Date Made: 1991-1992
Country: Soviet Union
Measurements: 60 cm x 90 cm; 23 5/8 in x 35 7/16 in
In this work Stalin takes on the role of the butcher, hacking into the map of the Soviet Union with a hatchet that bears the face and name of Lavrentii Beria, the head of the NKVD during the years 1938-1953. Beria took over after the Great Purges, succeeding Yezhov as head of the Soviet secret police. However, Beria’s name is forever tied with the purges as he carried out Stalin’s orders with zeal as member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party overseeing the Caucasus region. He also effectively carried out the killings within the police bureaucracy and the intelligentsia. From 1938 on, Beria actively participated in administering the deportation of many people to the Gulag labor camps. Thus, with Beria’s help, Stalin spread massacre to all parts of the USSR, as depicted by the map drawn atop a tree stump. The blood that covers Stalin’s hands, his apron, and the hatchet also form the emblem of the USSR. The feet of the murdered peek out at the forefront, their simple shoes a sign of innocence. The brick wall behind the image of Stalin is punctured with bullets, an ominous reminder of death and destruction. Incidentally, Beria himself was killed after his unsuccessful attempt to take over after Stalin’s death, shot by a firing squad next to the KGB Headquarters on December 23rd of 1953. Ironically, he was also condemned as the “enemy of the state,” a verdict he used against thousands of his own victims.
Accession Number: 2009.053.069
Item Name: Painting
Credit Line: The Ferris Russian Collection, Donated by Tom and Jeri Ferris
Collection/Series: The Ferris Russian Collection, Donated by Tom and Jeri Ferris