Russkiy ochevidec (L’Observateur russe)
Russkiy ochevidec/ L’Observateur russe – A French Newspaper in the Russian Language
Russian Paintings Arrive in Paris from Serbia
Text, video and photographs by Elena Yakunina
May 21, 2026, 3:41 p.m.
The exhibition “The Splendor of Russian Painting of the 19th–20th Centuries. Masterpieces from the Collection of Vladimir Pesic” has opened at the Russian Orthodox Spiritual and Cultural Center (ROSCC) in Paris.
The exhibition was inaugurated by A. Zezyulin, Minister-Counsellor of the Embassy of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Pesic, and A. Kotlova, Director of the ROSCC.
This exhibition is unique in every respect. First of all, following the 2022 decree of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation suspending the temporary export of museum objects from Russia, Russian art has virtually disappeared from exhibition venues in the West.
Today, seeing original works by the great Russian masters outside Russia has become a rare opportunity. The fact that Vladimir Pesic’s collection is based in Europe makes it an exceptional case.
Secondly, the Serbian collector’s collection has never before been exhibited in Paris, making the current exhibition a true premiere.
Finally, thirty-seven years devoted to the study and collection of Russian art outside Russia constitute an extraordinary achievement. The Pesic Collection goes far beyond the scope of a private collection. It comprises more than 330 carefully selected paintings, works of decorative and applied art by Russian and foreign artists, icons, and unique antique ivory pieces.
The recognition accorded to the owner of this collection, which encompasses 150 years of Russian artistic development and history, is fully deserved.
In Serbia, where numerous exhibitions from his collection have been organized, Vladimir Pesic was awarded the Golden Badge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia for his active contribution to the promotion of Russian art. In Russia, exhibitions of works from his collection have been presented at some of Moscow’s most prestigious venues, including the Manege, Gostiny Dvor, and the Central House of Artists. The Russian decoration, the Medal for Strengthening Peace, Friendship and Cooperation, which Vladimir wore at the opening reception in Paris, was awarded to him in 2023.
The painting “Shining Domes” (1920s), featured on the cover of the exhibition catalogue, is one of the works closest to the collector’s heart. It was painted by Grand Duchess Olga Romanova, sister of Emperor Nicholas II. A bright winter day and a church crowned with blue domes—a traditional symbol of dedication to the Virgin Mary—create a quintessentially Russian landscape that illuminates the center of the exhibition.
Nearby hangs another iconic work: “Still Life with a View of St. Isaac’s Cathedral” (1920s) by Vyacheslav Pakulin. The painting depicts part of a room in the Hotel Angleterre, where Sergei Yesenin spent the final days of his life and wrote his famous farewell poem, “Goodbye, my friend, goodbye.”
Among the smaller-format masterpieces are “Little Russian” by Vladimir Makovsky (early 1880s) and “Portrait of a Russian Peasant” (1885) by Nikolai Zagorsky. Particularly noteworthy is the self-portrait of Sergei Malyutin, the creator of the famous Russian matryoshka doll.
Landscapes by Nikolai Bogdanov-Belsky, “Black Sea Landscape” (1929) by Pyotr Konchalovsky, “Saint George and the Dragon” (1982) by Anatoly Zverev, and, of course, Vladimir Tatlin’s gouache “The Struggle of Ideologies” demonstrate that there is not a single accidental choice in the exhibition. Every work has been selected with care, and all are being presented to the general public for the first time. Art lovers and connoisseurs alike are in for remarkable discoveries.
It should also be noted that this year the Russian Orthodox Spiritual and Cultural Center celebrates the tenth anniversary of its establishment. The exhibition of masterpieces of Russian art from the 19th and 20th centuries serves as a special gift to the Center and its friends on this important occasion.
Address:
1 Quai Branly, 75007 Paris
Opening hours:
Daily from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Enter is free with prior registration.
Further information about the artworks can be found at:
www.russianartcollection.com
More information about the exhibition:
Tel.: +381 62 589 541
E-mail: vip@russianartcollection.com
Exhibition is open until June 30, 2026.
В Париж из Сербии прибыли русские картины
