Akimov N.P. (1901-1968) director

Categories / Art/Music, Theatre/Personalia
AKIMOV Nikolay Pavlovich (1901-1968), artist, director, pedagogue, theatre worker, People's Artist of the USSR (1961). From 1910 he lived in Tsarskoe Selo, from 1912 in St. Petersburg. Studied in St. Petersburg at the New Artistic Workshop (1916-18), and then at the Academy of Arts (VKhUTEMAS, Moscow higher educational establishment, 1922), but did not finish either. Worked as an artist in the placard workshop of the Petrograd Department of Proletarian Culture and Education Committee (1918), in various publishing houses, including Academia (1923-31), in the cinema (from 1928), in the circus (from 1930), and in a music hall (1933). In 1923 he started working as an artist for a number of variety theatres, for the Bolshoy Drama Theatre (from 1924), for the Akdrama (from 1925), and for the Gutman Satire Theatre (from 1926). In 1933-37, Akimov headed the studio of young theatre artists of the Leningrad Department of the Union of Artists. In 1935-49 and 1955-68 he worked as the main director and designer of the Comedy Theatre (since 1989 called the Akimov Comedy Theatre). In 1951-55 he worked as the main director and designer of the New Theatre (since 1953 the Lensovet Theatre). Akimov's works were marked for their laconicism, colourful expressiveness, irony, and paradox in the interpretation of classical plots and characters (Lope de Vega's The Dog in the Manger, 1936; W. Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, 1938 and 1964; A.V. Sukhovo-Kobylin's The Case, 1954; G. Byron's Don Juan, 1963). Akimov's collaboration with playwright E.L. Schwarz became a glorious page in Leningrad's theatre life. He designed playbills and posters, and created a gallery of cultural workers' portraits. Akimov exhibited his works to the Leningrad public in 1927, 1933, 1947, 1958, 1968, 1979, 1987 and 1989. In 1954-68, he headed the Staging Faculty of the Institute of Theatre, Music, and Cinematography, of which he was a professor since 1960 (see Academy of Dramatic Arts) demonstrating his natural talent in theoretical and publishing work. A complete collection of Akimov 's theatrical practice was published in two volumes in Leningrad in 1978. He also worked a lot at various Moscow theatres. He made his debut as a director at Moscow 's Vakhtangov Theatre in 1932 with his legendary production of Hamlet. In 1949-51 he also worked as the designer and director of the Moscow Drama Theatre. Akimov's works were displayed at many foreign exhibitions. In 1945-67 he lived at 4/1 Kirpichny Lane (memorial plaque installed). Buried at Literatorskie mostki.

References: Н. П. Акимов. [Сб. ст.]. Л., 1927; Эткинд М. Г. Николай Акимов: Сценография, графика. М., 1980.

A. A. Kirillov. Akimov Nikolay Pavlovich
Byron George
Gutman David Grigorievich
Lope de Vega Carpio (Lope Felix de)
Schwarz Evgeny Lvovich
Shakespeare William
Sukhovo-Kobylin Alexander Vasilievich
Vakhtangov Evgeny Bagrationovich
Kirpichny Lane/Saint Petersburg, city, house 1/4
Н. П. Акимов: [Сб. ст.]. Л., 1927
Эткинд М. Г. Николай Акимов: Сценография, графика. М., 1980 Academy of Arts
Academy of Arts
Academia, publishing house, 1921-1937
Tovstonogov Bolshoy Drama Theatre
Alexandrinsky Theatre
Akimov Comedy Theatre
Theatre Art Academy
Literatorskie (Literary) Mostki, the museum-necropolis