Купец

1918–1921

Opera designs: “The Snow Maiden”, “The Tsar's Bride”

His opera designs were a success: “The Snow Maiden” for the Bolshoi Theatre (1918, never staged), “The Tsar's Bride” at the Bolshoi Opera Theatre of the People's House (1920), and set and costume designs for Serov's “The Power of the Fiend” at the former Mariinsky Theatre (1921).

1922

Illustrates Zamyatin's “How the Monk Erasmus Was Healed”

Kustodiev designed a separate illustrated edition of Yevgeny Zamyatin's story “How the Monk Erasmus Was Healed”. Zamyatin recalled that a seemingly insoluble task was solved with remarkable elegance, tact and a great sense of humour.

1922–1923

Illustrates Leskov

With his fine feeling for line, Kustodiev illustrated Leskov's “The Darner” (1922) and “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District” (1923); he also worked in lithography and linocut.

1923

Joins the Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia

Kustodiev joined the Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia, and continued to paint, make engravings, illustrate books and design for the theatre until his death.

1925

Designs Zamyatin's “The Flea”

The productions of “The Flea” at the Second Moscow Art Theatre (1925) and the Leningrad Bolshoi Drama Theatre (1926) were a success. The director A. D. Diky recalled that he had nothing to correct in the designs: “The artist led the whole production.”