Vladimir Tatlin was a Soviet painter, theatre artist, representative of the Russian avant-garde, and one of the founders of Constructivism. Born in Moscow, he moved with his family to Kharkov in 1896. As a teenager, he left home and worked as a cabin boy on a sailing ship based in Odessa. In 1902, Tatlin enrolled in the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, from which he was expelled a year later. He also studied at the Penza Art College (1905–1910). During this period, Tatlin became close to the avant-garde artist Mikhail Larionov, who introduced him to various art associations. In the 1910s, he became an active participant in exhibitions such as "Jack of Diamonds", “Soyuz Molodyozhi” (“Union of Youth”), "Tramway V", "0.10" and many others in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Vladimir Tatlin was actively involved in theatrical life. For instance, in 1911 in Moscow he designed one of the first avant-garde productions, “The Play of Tsar Maximilian and his Rebellious Son Adolf”. He later conceived designs for unrealized productions such as M. Glinka's "A Life for the Tsar" (1913) and R. Wagner's "The Flying Dutchman" (1915). He taught at art institutions in Moscow, Petrograd, Kharkov, and Kyiv. In 1923, with the help of his students, he staged "Zangezi", based on V. Khlebnikov's work of the same name, in which he served as director, artist, and lead actor. Alongside his teaching and theatre work, he attempted to build a flying machine known as the "Letatlin". He worked on this project for about four years; however, the test flight never took place. Some of the blueprints for this machine are preserved in the Bakhrushin Theatre Museum. Tatlin also designed a number of productions for theatres such as the Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT), the Soviet Army Theatre, and many others. In 1935, the Chamber Theatre staged the play "We Won't Give Up" by S. Semyonov, for which Vladimir Tatlin served as the artist. He also created costume and set designs for A.V. Sukhovo-Kobylin's play "The Case." His designs for these and other productions, along with a large number of posters and production photographs, are preserved at the Bakhrushin Theatre Museum.