Worker and Kolkhoz Woman (Russian: Рабочий и колхозница, tr. Rabochiy i kolkhoznitsa) is a 1937 24.5 metres (78 feet) high stainless steel sculpture made in the Soviet Union. It consists of two proletarian figures (a male industry worker and a female kolkhoz -collective farm- worker) who hold a sickle and a hammer (the most recognizable Communist symbol) and raise them over their heads in triumph. Architect Boris Iofan was in charge of the concept and compositional design while sculptress Vera Mukhina handled the designs and features.
It was originally made to stand on the roof of the Soviet Union's pavilion at the 1937 World's Fair in Paris where it faced the pavilion of Nazi Germany and its eagle. After the World's Fair, it was moved to Moscow, where it can be seen at the Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy (VDNKh). It was restored in the 2000s, with a new pedestal resembling the original World's Fair pavilion.
The sculpture is the most famous example of Socialist Realism in an Art Deco aesthetic.
Tropes in this sculpture:
- Allegorical Character: Two characters symbolizing the union of industrial and agricultural proletarians.
- Chrome Champion: The sculpture is made of stainless steel, which renders this effect.
- The City vs. the Country: Rather "The City AND the Country", as communism put industrial workers (typically a city job) and agrarian workers (typically a countryside job) on equal footing as proletarian driving forces of production.
- Giant Woman: The Kolkhoz Woman, being 78 feet tall.
- Hammer and Sickle: The worker holds a hammer (an industrial tool), the kolkhoz woman holds a sickle (an agrarian tool). One of the most famous Soviet sculptures not to represent a famous leader or thinker wouldn't have it any other way.
- Sleeves Are for Wimps: The man wears a tank top.
- Socialist Realism: Two heroic proletarians depicted in a realistic pose, which fits the artistic canons of the Soviet era.
- Victory Pose: The two characters strike a victory-like pose.
- Working-Class Hero: An industrial worker and a kolkhoz worker in a heroic pose.
