Over a career spanning nine decades, Boris Yefimov produced more than 70,000 drawings, establishing himself as a central figure in Soviet visual propaganda. Born in Kyiv in 1900, he evolved from a young illustrator for Agitprop into a dominant political cartoonist whose biting caricatures helped define the state-sanctioned imagery of the Soviet Union throughout the twentieth century.
Early Development and Media
Born Boris Fridlyand to a shoemaker in Kyiv, he later changed his surname to Yefimov to obscure his Jewish origins. His professional ascent began in 1919 when his early political sketches appeared in Red Army publications. By 1922, he had moved to Moscow at the invitation of his brother, the journalist Mikhail Koltsov. His cartoons soon became fixtures in major publications such as Izvestia, Krokodil, and Ogoniok, with his 1924 volume, Political Cartoons, featuring a preface by Leon Trotsky.
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Yefimov adapted his artistic lens to the shifting mandates of Soviet leadership. In 1937, he produced cartoons attacking figures such as Nikolai Bukharin and Trotsky during the Show Trials. His work gained significant notoriety during the Second World War for its aggressive depiction of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime. This effort included the 1944 collection, Hitler and his Gang, which featured an introduction by the British cartoonist David Low.
Post-War Career and Longevity
Following the war, Yefimov documented the Nuremberg trials through caricature before pivoting to satirize Western powers during the Cold War. Throughout his later decades, he served in various administrative capacities, including as editor-in-chief and as an official of the Russian Academy of Arts. Even in his final years, marked by failing vision and cataract surgery, he remained active, publishing his memoirs, My Century, and continuing to produce friendly cartoons until his death in Moscow in 2008.
Fast facts
- Born: 1900, Kyiv
- Died: 1 October 2008, Moscow
- Total output: Over 70,000 drawings
- Burial site: Novodevichy Cemetery
- Positions held: Editor-in-chief
- Hero of Socialist Labour: 1990
- Major publications: Izvestia, Krokodil, Ogoniok
- Language: Russian
Questions readers ask
Was Boris Yefimov always known by his given name?
No, he was born Boris Fridlyand and changed his name to hide his Jewish origins.
What subjects did he draw during his career?
His work ranged from anti-Nazi political satire during the Second World War to anti-Western propaganda and internal political figures favored by the Soviet state.
Achievements
- Order of Honour — 2005
- Order of Lenin — 1990
- Order of the October Revolution — 1985
- Order of the Red Banner of Labour — 1962
