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Monument to Karl Marx at the Revolution Square

The Monument to Karl Marx in Moscow was completed in 1961 by Soviet sculptor Lev Kerbel. It stands near the Bolshoi Theatre in Theatre Square at Revolution Square. The monument weighs 160 tons and is carved from a monolithic block of gray granite mined near Dnepropetrovsk, now Dnipro, Ukraine, in the Kudashevsky mine quarry. Marx is shown as a speaker standing on a podium, as if addressing the working people. The front bears the USSR motto, "Proletarians of All Countries, Unite!" Two granite pylons flank the sculpture, inscribed with words by Friedrich Engels and Lenin.

Monument to Karl Marx in a Moscow plaza, with a large stone statue on a rough base near trees and surrounding buildings.
The Monument to Karl Marx stands in a city plaza in Moscow, framed by nearby trees and ornate buildings in the background.
October 2014 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Monument to Karl Marx standing in a paved urban plaza with an illuminated billboard and buildings in the background.
The Monument to Karl Marx stands in a city square with trees, buildings, and a digital billboard behind it.
June 2008 © · CC BY 3.0
Karl Marx monument with flowers at its base, surrounded by a crowd of people in a black-and-white photograph.
The Karl Marx monument is shown with flowers at its base as people gather around it.
September 1964 © Главархив Москвы · CC BY 4.0
Monument to Karl Marx in a public square, partly obscured by a blue structure and green barriers.
The Monument to Karl Marx stands in a Moscow square, partly blocked by nearby barriers and construction equipment.
© · CC BY 4.0
Close-up of carved Cyrillic text on the base of the Monument to Karl Marx.
Cyrillic inscription carved into the base of the Monument to Karl Marx in Moscow.
August 2006 © · CC BY-SA 4.0

Identification

TitleMonument to Karl Marx
Typemonument
Original Russian nameПамятник Карлу Марксу

Historical context

Second competitionOpen all-Union competition held in 1957
Construction historyProject development and construction were assigned to S. S. Alyoshin after the first competition; work on the fence and foundation began in early 1926 under the supervision of the Vesnin brothers; the original bronze statue was never installed because of the underground Neglinnaya River; the long-delayed Lenin-era plan was resumed under Khrushchev
Second competition contextDuring the rule of Nikita Khrushchev
Second competition outcomeWon by a creative team led by Lev Kerbel
Earlier related monumentA monument to Karl Marx was erected in Simbirsk in 1920
First competition outcomeNot ultimately carried out
First competition contextDuring the rule of Vladimir Lenin
First planning and design competition1920
Concept originLinked to Vladimir Lenin's Monumental Propaganda Plan; Lenin considered a monument to Marx one of the plan's most important tasks

Creator

SculptorLev Kerbel
ArchitectsR. A. Begunts, N. A. Kovalchuk, V. G. Makarevich, V. M. Morgulis

Discovery and provenance

Granite sourceKudashevsky quarry near Dnepropetrovsk (now Dnipro, Ukraine)

Physical characteristics

Weight160 tons

Materials

MaterialMonolithic gray granite
Material of earlier designBronze statue was planned for the earlier project but not installed

Appearance

Right pylon attributionAttributed to Lenin
Right pylon inscriptionMarx's teaching is all-powerful because it is true
Left pylon attributionAttributed to Friedrich Engels, said at Marx's funeral
Left pylon inscriptionHis name and work will outlive the centuries
Decorative elementsTwo granite pylons on both sides of the monument
DepictionMarx is shown as an orator standing on a tribune, as if addressing workers with an impassioned speech
Depicted figureKarl Marx
Front inscriptionWorkers of the world, unite!

Iconography and meaning

Depicted person descriptionGerman philosopher, economist, and revolutionary activist; founder of Marxism and a figure in the international communist movement

Location and ownership

LocationTheater Square (Revolution Square), Moscow, Russia
Original planned locationTheater Square, Moscow
CountryRussia

History and restoration

Opening attendeesThe top party and Soviet leadership, delegates of the congress, and guests from communist parties of other countries
Heritage register statusIncluded on the Russian cultural heritage register with federal-level protection since 2016
Protected statusRecognized as an object of cultural significance by the government of the RSFSR in 1974
Removal plansThere were plans to remove it after 1991, but demolition was not carried out because the monolithic granite statue was too massive and no money was found for dismantling; the issue was not raised afterward
VandalismThe monument was vandalized in August 1991
Foundation stone inscriptionThe first stone of the monument to the great leader and teacher of the world proletariat Karl Marx.
Inaugurated byNikita Khrushchev
Inauguration contextOpened during the work of the 22nd Congress of the CPSU
Completion date29 October 1961
Foundation plaque inscriptionOn May 1, on the 3rd anniversary of the dictatorship of the Russian proletariat, by the will of the working people, a monument to the great leader and teacher of the world proletariat Karl Marx is being laid on this site. Council of People's Commissars and Moscow Soviet of Workers' and Red Army Deputies.
Foundation laying attendeesVladimir Lenin, Lev Kamenev, Mikhail Tomsky, Alexandra Kollontai, members of the Council of People's Commissars, and members of the presidium of the Moscow Soviet
Foundation laying1 May 1920, during the first all-Russian subbotnik

Significance

Sculptor awardLev Kerbel received the Lenin Prize in 1962 for creating the monument
Depicted in filmShown in the opening credits of the 1988 film Red Heat, in winter with snow covering the front of the foundations
Description by Faina RanevskayaDescribed as 'a refrigerator with a beard'