Mikhail Abramovich Gordon completed his training as an artist at the Moscow Architectural Institute in 1936. While in Moscow, he worked on exhibits at the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition (VSKhV), a forerunner to the All-Union Exhibition of National Economy (VDNKh). In addition, his work appeared as part of the Soviet exhibit at the 1937 Paris International Exposition. Returning to the Soviet Union at the end of the 1930s, Gordon prepared the Leningrad streets for the celebrations honoring the ...

Iskusstvo was the Art Publishing House (A.K.A. Visual Arts Publishing) that was created in 1936 from Ogiz-Izogiz (State Art and Literature Publishing House). It disseminated books and journals dealing with graphic design and the fine arts, and it issued numerous posters. Since the Iskusstvo banner was part of the State Printing Works in Leningrad (St. Petersburg) and Moscow, its two main offices were located in those two cities.