Нина Генке-Меллер: Украинская художница авангарда

Ukrainian artist (1893–1954)

Nina Henrichovna Genke [Hɛŋkə] or Nina Henrichovna Genke Meller, or Nina Henrichovna Henke Meller (Нина Генке Меллер, Нина Генке; Ніна Генріхівна Генке Меллер or Ніна Генріхівна Генке; 19 April 1893 – 25 July 1954) was a Ukrainian Russian avant garde artist, (Suprematist, Futurist), designer, graphic artist and scenographer.

Nina Genke was born in Moscow in 1893 to a Dutch father, Genrikh Genke, and a Russian mother, Nadezhda Tikhanova. She married the artist Vadym Meller (1884 1962). Nina Genke Meller died in Kyiv in 1954.

In 1912, she graduated from Levandovskaya Private Gymnasium in Kyiv. She received a title to teach Russian language and history. The following year she began teaching history, geography and drawing at the Higher Primary College for Women in Veselynivka [uk]. In Skoptsi, she met the artist Yevgenia Pribylska who headed the Art Studio in a Folk Center and became more inspired to become an artist herself. In 1914 Genke began attending Aleksandra Ekster’s studio in Kyiv for her art education, becoming an assistant in Ekster's studio from 1915 to 1917. At the same time, she worked as an artist in Skoptsi (Skoptsy) Village Folk Centre, supervised by Yevgeniya Pribilskaya and in Verbovka or the Verbovka Village Folk Centre, founded by N. Davidova.

Nina Genke was closely connected with the Supremus group that was led by Kazimir Malevich, the founder of Suprematism. From 1915 Genke worked as a head and a chief artist of the Verbovka Village Folk Centre (province in Kyiv). She attracted famous avant garde artists such as Kazimir Malevich, Nadezhda Udaltsova, Aleksandra Ekster, Ivan Kliun, Ivan Puni, Lyubov Popova, Olga Rozanova, Ksenia Boguslavskaya and others to the creative peasant artisans co operative. 1915 1916 she participated in the creating settings for the play "Kamira Kifared" (I. F. Annenskiy) for Kamerny Theater in Moscow, was teaching drawing at Kruger's Private Gymnasium, was working jointly on a large panel with artist Katria Vasilieva, as a member of the Kyiv Folk Centre, was one of the heads of the Kyiv Committee of the All Russian Zemstvo Union: together with the group of artists suprematists was creating a network of artistic and industrial studios aiming at support of folk art in Ternopil, Kolomiya, Chortkiv and Chernivtsi regions. Shortly after the October Revolution of 1917, Nina Genke participated in decorating the streets of Kyiv and Odesa for Revolution Festivities together with Aleksandra Ekster and Kliment Red'ko, and began to design grandiose shows and a book on graphic design. Genke was a chief artist of the Golfstream futuristic publishing house led by Ukrainian poet Futurist, Mykhail Semenko. At the same time she worked as a graphic artist. In 1923, she "illustrated the Panfuturists' October Collection, established a symbiosis between poster and poetry". From 1920 to 1924 she taught art in the All Ukrainian State Center Studio. In 1924 moved to Moscow, working as a stage designer, designer for china (mostly plates) and wallpaper manufacture. Genke also held a position of the Deputy Head of the Board on Fine Arts in Vserabis. In later life, Genke worked as an interior designer, a scenographer, and supervisor of decorative and applied arts institutions.