Aseev, Petr Prokhorovich

Petr Prokhorovich Aseev was a Soviet/Russian painter and a graphic artist who worked as a book illustrator. He was a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR. In the field of book illustration, Aseev worked for the publisher Detgiz, the premier Soviet publishing house for children's literature. Petr Aseev’s noted poster designs include: “Let the Banner of the Soviet, the Banner of the People Lead from Victory to Victory!” (1950), “Glory to Soviet Women – Active Builders of Communism!" and “We Stand for Peace and Uphold the Cause of Peace” (both from 1952).

During the Second World War, Aseev was drafted into the army and served in the air command protecting besieged Leningrad during its infamous blockade. Aseev also took part in the liberation of the USSR and was sent to the Baltic States where he remained after the war's end. In the post-war period, Aseev enrolled at the Latvian Academy of Arts in Riga and in 1951, he graduated with a degree in painting. In 1953, he married Galina Andreevna Brei, daughter of Moscow-based artist Andrei Andreevich Brei. In 1957, the family moved to the village of Bykovo southeast of Moscow.