RIA Novosti
Exhibition of Famous Russian Artists Opens in the Serbian Capital
21.10.2025 15:02
BELGRADE, October 21 – RIA Novosti.
An exhibition of famous Russian artists of the 19th–20th centuries has opened in the Serbian capital as part of the “Days of Moscow in Belgrade,” in the presence of a delegation from the city of Moscow, representatives of the Russian Embassy, and city authorities, a RIA Novosti correspondent reports.
On Tuesday, the exhibition “Constellation of Famous Russian Artists of the 19th–20th Centuries” from the collection of Serbian collector Vladimir Pesic opened at the Salon of the Belgrade City Museum in the center of the Serbian capital. Attending the opening were Sergei Cheremin, Head of the Department for Foreign Economic and International Relations of the Moscow Government; Alexander Konanykhin, adviser to the envoy of the Russian Embassy; and Vesna Vidović, Deputy Mayor of Belgrade.
“This is a way to strengthen our friendship. Serbia and Russia, Belgrade and Moscow, our peoples share a long common history and have always helped each other in difficult times. But above all, we are friends, and we share a common history and culture. Yesterday’s signing of the memorandum of understanding between Belgrade and Moscow shows that we wish to continue moving in this direction in the future,” the Deputy Mayor of Belgrade told those gathered.
She noted that it is necessary to support the friendship between the two countries in many fields — culture, transport, economy, tourism, and education.
“Russian artists also left an exceptional mark on Belgrade and partly shaped the identity of our city in architecture, theatre, and music. And I am confident this will continue in the future,” Vidović added.
She stated that the “Days of Moscow in Belgrade” began on Monday, the anniversary of the liberation of Belgrade in the Second World War.
The exhibition focuses on Moscow painters. It includes 36 paintings and eight icons. The central place is occupied by the masterpieces “The Stream” by Stanisław Żukowski and “Suprematist Composition” by Ivan Kudryashov, an outstanding student of Kazimir Malevich. Both paintings are being shown to the public for the first time. Leonid and Rimma Brailovsky worked in both Moscow and Belgrade, and their work “Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow” was painted in Belgrade in the early 1920s. The portrait of Princess Mafalda of Savoy, granddaughter of King Nikola Petrović-Njegoš, was created by Stepan Kolesnikov, who also painted the landscape “Spring of 1946” and “Pavilion of the Ministry of Social Policy. Exhibition of Disabled Workers.”
Also presented are the miniatures “Calling the Slavic People to Baptism” by the outstanding Imperial Court painter Adolf Charlemagne and “Portrait of Tsar Nicholas I” by Ivan Vinberg. The exhibition also includes “Girl with Flowers” by Nikolai Kuznetsov, “Portrait of an Infant” by Boris Pastukhov, and “Portrait of Tamara Biba,” a relative of Vladimir Pesic, painted by Alexander Tolstoy. After 95 years, the public is once again able to see a watercolor by Stepan Uvarov, as well as paintings by Filipp Malyavin: “Two Lives” and “Portrait of General of the Army of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia Dušan O. Stojanović.” Also on display are “Bogatyr Dobrynya Nikitich” by Konstantin Kuznetsov, “Troika” by Pyotr Sokolov, works by landscape painters Mikhail Suzdaltsev, Alexander Lazhechnikov, and Ippolit Maikovsky, a panorama of Red Square by Vasily Golikov, works by other artists, and antique Russian icons.
On October 20, marking the anniversary of the liberation of the Serbian capital in the Second World War, the authorities of Moscow and Belgrade signed a memorandum of understanding for 2026–2029 within the framework of the “Days of Moscow,” aimed at developing cooperation in infrastructure, education, culture, and sports.
Earlier on Monday, the business forum “Belgrade – Moscow: New Opportunities for Business” took place. Attending the opening of the forum were Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko, Sergei Cheremin, representatives of the chambers of commerce and industry of Belgrade and Moscow, Russia and Serbia, as well as representatives of city authorities, business circles of Belgrade, and Russian and Serbian companies.