Radio Television of Serbia
Radio Television of Serbia
Thursday 23.10.2025
Days of Moscow in Belgrade – dazzling traces of Russian art at the Museum of the City of Belgrade
The exhibition “Constellation of Famous Russian Artists of the 19th and 20th Centuries from the Collection of Vladimir Pesic” was opened at the Gallery of the Museum of the City of Belgrade as part of the event Days of Moscow in Belgrade. Until November 9, visitors can see part of the large private collection of Russian art belonging to collector Vladimir Pesic.
The works of Russian painters are inspired by the historical relations between Russia and the Serbian people, including artists who spent part of their lives and careers in this region. The collection also includes portraits of important figures from that period.
“From beautiful miniatures, which are extremely difficult to paint, through paintings depicting historical events in Russia, to magnificent landscapes and Princess Mafalda of Savoy, who gave her life in the fight against fascism. This is the work of the great Stepan Kolesnikov, whom the Serbs accepted as one of their own,” says the collector and author of the exhibition, Vladimir Pesic.
Particular attention is also drawn to the work “Stream” by Stanislav Zhukovsky, one of the most important Russian landscape painters, as well as works by Ivan Kudryashov, Stepan Kolesnikov, and many others. The exhibition is completed by icons created by Russian artists.
Vladimir Pesic has been collecting paintings and antiques for more than three decades.
“The painting that means the most to me is the first one I ever bought in my life. It was a work by Adolf Charlemagne, ‘Calling the Slavic People to Baptism’ It was purchased in Moscow in 1989. This is passion and pursuit; it requires a great deal of emotion, patience, and time to build such a collection. It is not only a matter of money — it is also a matter of finding the artwork, choosing the right piece, and preserving it for future generations,” emphasizes Pesic.
He says that his wish is for the collection to receive a permanent exhibition space in Belgrade, so that people from all over the world could see important works of Russian art.
