Brezhnev wished to commission a portrait to be entitled „Lenin in Poland“ in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of the Russian Revolution. The problem was that Russian painters, being schooled strictly in the realist school of thought, were unable to paint an event which never occurred.
„Comrade Brezhnev, we would like to do it, but we cannot. It goes against our training,“ was the reply which the Chairman received from every artist he asked. Finally, after getting refusals from all of the great artists in Moscow, Brezhnev was forced to go ask the old Jewish painter, Levy.
„Of course, I prefer to portray actual events, but I’ll do the painting for you, Comrade. It would be my great honor.“ Levy commenced work on the painting. However, every time that Brezhnev visited his studio in an attempt to see the work in progress, Levy rebuffed his efforts, telling him that he never allowed his unfinished works to be viewed.
Finally, the day of the unveiling arrived. Levy stood proudly by the cloth draped over his work. Brezhnev introduced Levy and gestured to his gift to the Russian people on the fiftieth anniversary of the Russian Revolution, a picture commemorating Lenin’s historic visit to Poland. Everyone gasped as the cloth was removed to reveal a picture of a man and a woman together in bed.
Brezhnev was stunned. „Whoa, who is that man?“ he stammered. „Why, that’s Trotsky.“ „And who,“ Brezhnev inquired, „is that woman?“ „That is Lenin’s wife, Comrade Brezhnev.“
„But where is Lenin?“ „He’s in Poland.“