Art digest of the week: Russian Art Nouveau, a meeting of the Guerlain spouses and graphics by Philip Malyavin
“Russian modern. Towards a Synthesis of Arts ”
State Tretyakov Gallery, until August 31, 2022
The works of Mikhail Vrubel moved from his personal halls to Krymsky Val, where a retrospective of the “damned genius” will take place. At this time, in the program “The Tretyakov Gallery opens its storerooms” organized an exhibition of rare and iconic works of Art Nouveau, which in France was called Art Nouveau, and in Austria Art Nouveau. Some of the works, for example “Portrait of a Princess” by Nikolai Ulyanov, have not been shown to the general public before. Only one large-scale panel by Vrubel “Princess Dreams”, which he wrote for the Nizhny Novgorod art and industrial exhibition based on the plot of the famous and even hackneyed play by Edmond Rostand, remained in his native walls. The commission of the Imperial Academy of Arts disliked him, but Savva Mamontov adored him, his mosaic copy appeared on the Metropol, and, finally, in 2007, a special hall was allocated for it in the Tretyakov Gallery. “Princess Dream” can be considered the starting point for the emergence of the Russian Art Nouveau style – in which a large number of Moscow mansions were built, many were written and which exhausted itself in 1914, with the outbreak of the First World War. This synthetic direction united foruru, painting, book graphics, literature, theater, and its goal was to create an environment in which every detail is permeated with taste, style and aesthetics. Therefore, the exhibition has a lot of near theatrical subjects – such as the portrait of Chaliapin as Holofernes by Alexander Golovin, the characteristic thin planar lines on the panel by Fyodor Botkin and the abundance of plant motifs of “merchant” modernist style, like Isaac Brodsky and Alexander Savinov. The gallery of portraits of poets of the Symbolist circle – Anna Akhmatova, Nikolai Gumilyov, Konstantin Balmont – and sculptures by artists Nikolai Andreev deserve special attention.
A. Ya. Golovin, “Umbrian Valley”, 1910s.
“Contemporary graphics from the collection of the Center Pompidou. Gift of Florence and Daniel Guerlain ”
Gallery of art of the countries of Europe and America of the XIX – XX centuries, until January 30
The famous perfumer and founder of the House of Guerlain, Jacques Guerlain, once collected a collection of works by contemporary Impressionist artists. His grandson Daniel Guerlain and his wife Florence continue the work of the great ancestor and collect a collection of graphics by contemporary artists from all over the world. In the next three months, its sixth part – almost two hundred works – is shown in Moscow, on the first floor of the gallery on Volkhonka. The collection of drawings by the Guerlain family is considered one of the best in the world with a broad understanding of the authors of the late XX – early XXI century, and it is often the series, rather than individual works, that Guerlain acquired. Among the top world names on display are the French Fabrice Ibert and Christian Boltanski, the Americans Richard Prince and Robert Longo, the Italian Giuseppe Penone – his installation now stands in the courtyard of the GES-2 House of Culture. Among the Russian authors, the collectors’ choice fell on the sheets of Pavel Pepperstein’s superheroes – “Penguin Man” and “Mister Freeze”, the series “Silhouettes” by Sergei Anufriev and works by Alexander Ponomarev. We remind you that by the decree of the Mayor of Moscow, visiting museums in Moscow is now possible by QR code.
Christian Boltanski, Metal Machine, 1974 year
Graphics by Philip Malyavin from private collections
Gallery “Vellum” in Gostiny Dvor, until November 22
Exhibitions from private collections, and even more so of such a level as the collection of prominent collectors of graphics Sergei and Tatiana Podstanitsky, are very interesting to watch: you are unlikely to see them after, and even more so in one place. That is why it is worth visiting the Vellum chamber gallery in Gostiny Dvor in the next month. A student of Ilya Repin, who began his artistic career as an icon painter in a monastery, co-founder of the World of Art circle Philip Malyavin, to whom the exhibition is dedicated, is one of the key draftsmen of the 20th century. Charcoal portraits of peasant women with shawls, ladies with hats, the Swedish king with tennis rackets and a series of self-portraits immerse the artist, who is famous for his colorful exuberant color works, into the world. It is better to inform about your visit to the gallery in advance by phone.
F. Malyavin, “Girlfriends”, first third of the XX century
© Photo courtesy of Vellum Gallery
Inspiration of the week
When the Earth Was Round by Gertrude Stein
Jaromir Hladík press, 102 pages, 2021
For the first time on Russian A book by the key character of 20th century art, American modernist writer and mistress of the Parisian art salon Gertrude Stein, “When the Earth Was Round” was published. This bizarre tale of fusion of prose and poetry about the growing up of the young heroine Rose was Stein’s only work conceived for both adults and children. Under the child’s form are hidden allegories, a characteristic of the writer motive of self-knowledge and her famous conceptual refrain Rose is a rose – this is a rose – this is a rose (“A rose is a rose is a rose is a rose”). Captured in portraits of Pablo Picasso, Francis Picabia and Felix Vallotton, and a photograph of Cecil Beaton, she was an influential collector and revealed the names of Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque and Henri Matisse to the world. Original edition 1939, at Stein’s insistence, was printed on pink paper with sketches by the famous children’s illustrator Clement Heard.
Podcast “Art to the Masses”
Art can be enjoyed from home – with podcast art critic and editor-in-chief of “Artguide” Maria Kravtsova. Each issue is a new expert speaker, a new art or museum theme and a non-binding timing of 10-15 minutes. Provenance specialist Konstantin Akinsha talks about fakes of the Russian avant-garde, curator Andrei Erofeev about the basics of his profession and censorship in art, Museum of Moscow director Anna Trapkova about when it will be possible to come to the museum with dogs, Garage employee Lyudmila Luchkova about inclusive art programs, and in the last episode, art manager, employee of the Nizhny Novgorod Arsenal, Anna Bolshem, devotes to the backstage of art exhibitions.
Podcast “Art to the Masses”
Martin Margiela in Paris
Lafayette Anticipations, Paris, until January 2, 2022
Belgian designer Martin Margiela has always been an artist: but in the last thirteen years, after a decisive departure from the world of fashion, he has completely gone into art. He has always been an elusive enigma, so the appearance of his hands and voice in Martin Margela’s documentary: in his own words and the first solo exhibition of art objects in the Lafayette Anticipations Foundation, which was postponed several times, is perceived by the insiders of the world as a revelation. It is not surprising that the French edition of the catalog, which Margiela worked on personally, was sold out in the very first days, and in November its international version in English will appear and mini booklet to the exhibition, printed on a risograph. Installations, sculptures, collages and sketches of the artist flooded the instagram of Parisians, and yet some intersections with his fashionable language can be seen – hidden faces, illusory textures, performativity. A fluffy bus stop with an obvious reference to the famous surrealist cup of Meret Oppenheim, gigantic scarlet nails and, as if waiting for something, the same type of wigs without faces – all this, according to Margiela’s idea, explores the motive of forgotten people, objects and events. Contrary to the hopes of fashionistas, no merch is foreseen for the exhibition: Margiela categorically separates her art from fashion and considers it a “second act”.