TASS News Agency
TASS News Agency
Leading Russian news agency, information partner of the exhibition “The Splendor of Russian Painting of the 19th–20th Centuries. Masterpieces from the Collection of Vladimir Pesic”
Exhibition of Russian Painters in Paris Brings Together Guests from More Than 10 Countries
The Serbian collector Vladimir Pesic explained that he chose the Russian cultural center as the venue for the exhibition after being inspired by the golden domes of the Holy Trinity Cathedral.
TASS Office 11:30
Photographs © Dmitry Orlov/TASS
PARIS, May 21. /TASS correspondent Dmitry Orlov/. The exhibition “The Splendor of Russian Painting of the 19th–20th Centuries. Masterpieces from the Collection of Vladimir Pesic” opened at the Russian Spiritual and Cultural Orthodox Center (RSCOC) in Paris. As a TASS correspondent observed, guests from more than 10 countries attended the opening ceremony.
“The exhibition is conceived as a visual journey through 150 years of the history of Russian painting, allowing the public to discover 12 artistic movements,” Vladimir Pesic, the owner of the collection and the author of the project, told a TASS correspondent. The Serbian collector explained that he chose the Russian cultural center as the venue for the exhibition after being inspired by the golden domes of the Holy Trinity Cathedral located on its grounds. According to him, they reminded him of one of his favorite paintings, “Shining Domes,” by one of Russia’s finest artists, Grand Duchess Olga Romanova, which became the symbol of the current exhibition.
According to Pesic, he did not encounter any difficulties in transporting the artworks to Paris because they had been stored in Latvia, which simplified customs procedures. He added that he is already planning to organize a similar exhibition in Brussels in November of this year. “I would like to believe that, in the future, politics and culture will not be interconnected. The most significant thing that remains after us is art, and it belongs to the entire world,” the collector told the agency.
Genuine Interest
The paintings were displayed under soft lighting in a darkened exhibition hall, where several dozen visitors took their time viewing the works. Those wishing to learn more about each painting had the opportunity to access a full description and information about the artists’ biographies by scanning QR codes on the labels accompanying the works.
As the RSCOC press service told TASS, many foreign diplomats attended the event. Representatives of Algeria, Honduras, Grenada, Yemen, China, Cuba, Lebanon, Malaysia, Palestine, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uzbekistan came to discover the works of Russian painters. The international guests enthusiastically discussed what they saw, often spending considerable time in front of each painting.
A total of 18 works were presented at the exhibition, illustrating such movements in 19th–20th century Russian art as Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Russian Art Nouveau, the Neo-Russian Style, Cubism, Cubo-Futurism, Suprematism, Constructivism, Socialist Realism, Nonconformism, and Expressionism. Among the masterpieces on display were “Shining Domes” by Grand Duchess Olga Romanova, “The Struggle of Ideologies” by Vladimir Tatlin, “Suprematist Composition” by Sergei Senkin, “Still Life with a View of St. Isaac’s Cathedral” by Vyacheslav Pakulin, “Self-Portrait” by Sergei Malyutin, the creator of the famous Russian matryoshka doll, a stage design sketch for the opera “Sadko” by Fyodor Fyodorovsky, the chief artist of the Bolshoi Theatre, the watercolor “Black Sea Landscape” by Pyotr Konchalovsky, and many others.
Cultural Dialogue
“This unique project offers an opportunity to engage with authentic works of Russian art in all their historical and artistic diversity,” Russian Ambassador to France Alexey Meshkov said in his address to the exhibition’s guests. “At a time when the international display of works from Russian museum collections is restricted, this initiative takes on exceptional cultural significance. Acquaintance with Vladimir Pesic’s collection will allow viewers not only to appreciate Russia’s artistic heritage, but also to gain a deeper understanding of the character and destiny of Russia.”
Anna Kotlova, Director of the Russian Orthodox Spiritual and Cultural Center, noted that the event is taking place in the year when the cultural center celebrates its 10th anniversary. “For us, this is an excellent opportunity to mark this important milestone while continuing our educational mission. Vladimir Pesic has done tremendous work to make this exhibition possible and accessible to a wide audience,” she said, expressing gratitude to the Heritage of the Russian Diaspora Foundation, the Serbian branch of the International Foundation for the Heritage of Nations, and the investment fund Kama Capital for their important contribution to the realization of the project.
