MEDIA CENTRE

ART RUSSE CLOSES PRIVATE VIEW AT TOWER OF LONDON

Art Russe has completed the showcase of an exclusive selection of its renowned collection of late 19th and 20th century Russian art at a private event at the Tower of London. The viewing preceded the opening of a new Russian art gallery in the UK. The collection will later be moving to a permanent exhibition at Beaulieu, one of the leading tourist attractions in the UK that attracts over 400 thousand visitors.

The decision by Beaulieu to establish a Russian gallery reflects growing interest in the Russian cultural heritage as an important component of the world’s art history. Art Russe and Lord Montagu of Beaulieu signed an agreement in June to establish a permanent showcase of Russian art at Beaulieu. The permanent gallery will become yet another Art Russe’s project aimed at increasing awareness of Russian XIX and XX century art.

The invitation-only display at the Tower of London was organised independently by Art Russe. The private viewing featured works that represent the highlights of Art Russe’s collection of over 200 paintings and sculptures spanning all major development stages of the Russian art school, from the late 19th century to the 1990s. Guests had the opportunity to see works representing the most important movements in Russian art from that period.

Edward Lucie-Smith, art historian: “Few aspects of 20th century art can have been so thoroughly misunderstood as the art made in Russia during this tumultuous epoch in Russian history. The wonderful and signicant Art Russe collection is helping to put the record straight.”

Geraldine Norman, Director, the Hermitage Foundation UK: “It is exciting to welcome to London and the UK the Art Russe collection. It may seem incredible to a British audience that, with style and content dictated by the state from the 1930s onwards, some great and original art emerged. it’s a wonderful for us all to be able to see them live at the Art Russe events. Realism is just beginning to return to favour in the West and Art Russe’s UK exhibitions will provide an opportunity for UK art lovers to get their eye in.”

Dr. Judith Collins, Formerly Curator of 20th Century British Art at Tate, London, UK: “Russian sculpture of the 20th century is little known in Britain, and examples from this fascinating and wide- ranging Art Russe collection will do much to educate the British public as to what kind of three-dimensional work was being made on another continent between the 1920s and 1990s. Russian works have a lively place in today’s world; this thoughtfully compiled collection will lend weight to that momentum.”

The private viewing was part of Art Russe’s regular programme of bringing Russian art to global cultural hubs.   Last year Art Russe hosted the first major exhibition of Russian art in the Middle East at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi. In 2015, Art Russe also held an exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London entitled ‘The Legacy of WWII in Russian Art’. The exhibition provided an insight into the portrayal of World War II and its impact on Russian art, attracting over 21,000 visitors in less than five weeks. In 2014, Art Russe brought works by the famous Russian artist, Viktor Popkov, to London’s Somerset House as part of the international retrospective that started in Moscow and Venice.

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