Nikolay Ivanovich Svishchov-Paola

Russian, 1874–1964

Birth placeMoscow, Russia

Death placeMoscow, Russia

BiographyNikolay Ivanovich Svishchov-Paola [Nikolay Svishchov] (1874, Moscow, Russian Empire – 1964, Moscow, USSR). Photographer, professional photographer (owner of commercial photo studio), photographer-artist. Studied photography as a pupil in photo studios in Moscow and attended the evening drawing classes in Stroganov Art College. Since 1895 he has a right for his own photo studio in Moscow. Had net of photo studios in the city at the end of 19 century. In 1908 one of the most famous in Moscow commercial photographers, Krotkov, invited Svishchov to use his studio Paola at Kuznetsky most (at the famous fashion street in 5 min from Kremlin) in 1908 and Svishchov bought the same studio next year. In 1920s when Svishchov changed his ID, the local police office input the studio name Paola as a part of Svishchov second name (police officer explained to artist that its how people know him). Svishchov was participants of the Russian Photographic Society meetings since 1906, in 1910s he was member of the Presidium of the Society. His first art photograph he exhibited in 1906 and published in art photography magazine in 1908; since that time, he was widely exhibited and published. In 1925 he won the golden medal of the International Exhibition of Decorative and Applied Arts in Paris. He was active member of the Photographic Section of the State Academy of Artistic Science [GAKH] and was part of the Russian Art of Movement (Svishchov-Paola’s collections were presented at all four exhibitions of the Art of Movement in Moscow: 1925, 1926, 1927 and 1928). Since late 1920s, when Paola studio was nationalized, S-P worked as hired employee-photographer there. Retired in mid 1940s and continued to work as a commissioned portrait photographer till the end of his life. [Irina Chmyreva, January 2023]

Person TypePerson