Radio Television of Serbia
Radio Television of Serbia (RTS, the largest national media house in Serbia)
January 23rd 2022
News. Culture.
Report from the opening of the exhibition „The brilliance of Russian painters” in Dnevnik 2, the central news program of RTS.
Prepared by Masha Ivkov
“One of the largest collections of Russian art was exhibited in Vrsac”
Last night, the audience in the city Vrsac had a rare opportunity to see a part of the large private collection of Russian art works, which belongs to the collector Vladimir Peshich. For the first time Peshich exhibits his big collection in Serbia. He was carefully collecting it for more than three decades.
Vladimir Peshich is one of the biggest collectors of Russian antiques and art works. The family collection, which Vladimir’s great-grandfather Andria began to form, today has more than 200 valuable paintings, a large number of icons and antiques.
So far, it has been exhibited throughout Europe, and now it is the first time that Serbian audiences have seen it. Vladimir has decided that the right place for this exhibition is Vrsac.
„For several reasons – my grandfather Branislav Maksimovic was born in Vrsac, and a very famous Russian painter, whom I appreciate very much, Konstantin Kuznetsov lived here. This is a very special exhibition setting, that we have carefully chosen for Vrsac, because of the painters who lived in Vrsac and Banat“, says Peshich.
People from Vrsac and many other quests had the opportunity to see paintings by famous Russian artists, such as Nikolai Dmitrievich Kuznetsov, Ippolit Danilovich Majkovsky, Stepan Fedorovich Kolesnikov and many others.
„I see here great paintings, which I have never seen before. This is an opportunity for me to see Russian painters that I have never seen before, even in Moscow“, states the director of The Russian House — Russian Centre of Science and Culture in Belgrade, Evgeny Baranov.
„I must say that for the last 4 years, this is the most professionally prepared exhibition of all that I have seen in Serbia. An incredible level! In principle, this exhibition can be organized in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Nis as well. If we had a chance to see these paintings in Moscow, I believe that the audience there would be satisfied just as well“, points out Alexander Konanyhin, First Counselor of the Embassy of the Russian Federation and Attaché for Culture.
A special place on this exhibition was dedicated to Vladimir Peshich’s grandfather, Branislav Maksimovich from Vrsac, who sang as a professional singer in the quartet he founded with his brothers. They have performed together in many cities across Europe and America.
„They achieved great success in the 1930s in America, and they were widely covered by the western media. They recorded about 10 records, were received by Walt Disney and Charlie Chaplin and had a very nice career “, adds Peshich.
Beside the people from Vrsac, the audience in Belgrade, Novi Sad and Kragujevac will also have the opportunity to see this exhibition.