Kukryniksy

• Born 1924

The Kukryniksy were three caricaturists / cartoonists in the USSR with a recognizable style. The name is a collective name, derived from the names of three men: Mikhail Kupriyanov (Михаил Васильевич Куприянов, 1903–1991), Porfiri Krylov (Порфирий Никитич Крылов, 1902–1990), and Nikolai Sokolov (Николай Александрович Соколов, 1903–2000). They met at VKhUTEMAS, a Moscow art school, in the early 1920s and began drawing caricatures under the joint signature in 1924. They became famous in the Soviet Union in the 1930s after they began drawing for *Krokodil*, a Moscow satirical paper. They received international recognition for their attacks on fascist leaders during the Second World War and continued to depict politics in their series Cold War (1945–1980s). They also illustrated several books and were each known as landscape and portrait artists. All three were awarded the honorary title of People's Artist of the USSR in 1958.