TV Channel “Rossiya Kultura”
TV Channel “Rossiya Kultura”
May 21, 2026
Culture News
An Exhibition of Works from a Serbian Collector’s Collection Presented in Paris
From 19th-century Realism to Soviet Nonconformism, an exhibition of Russian art has opened in Paris. The display presents paintings from the collection of Serbian collector Vladimir Pesic. Anastasia Popova visited and reviewed “The Splendor of Russian Painting.”
This is only a small part of the works that one of the most prominent contemporary collectors of Russian art has assembled over the course of 37 years. Vladimir Pesic inherited his love of beauty and refined artistic taste from his parents. His father was a correspondent for the Yugoslav newspaper Politika in some of the world’s leading capitals.
“When I moved to Moscow, I visited museums there with my father. Over time, when I was about eighteen years old, I developed a desire to collect Russian art. Perhaps when you are unable to create art yourself, you feel the need to acquire and preserve it. My goal is to establish a museum of Russian art in Serbia or abroad one day, so that I can continue promoting Russian art,” commented collector Vladimir Pesic.
There will certainly be enough works to fill such a museum. His collection already includes 330 paintings, works of decorative and applied art by Russian and international artists, icons, and unique antique ivory artworks.
In Paris, 18 masterpieces are on display. This exhibition is a genuine visual journey, immersing visitors not only in Russian culture but also in the major events that have shaped Russia’s history over the past 150 years. All of these paintings are being exhibited publicly for the first time, and what is particularly remarkable in today’s Europe is that these are not reproductions but original works.
The symbol of the exhibition is a painting by Grand Duchess Olga Romanova, sister of Emperor Nicholas II of Russia. When the collector arrived in Paris and saw the domes of the Russian Spiritual and Cultural Center, he felt a connection across time and decided that the exhibition should be held precisely there.
“For ten years our Center has been operating in a rather challenging environment, yet it has already been ten years. For us, this is a significant milestone, and it is gratifying that we can continue fulfilling our mission—to explain what contemporary Russia is and to demonstrate its genuine contribution to European and world culture and art. It is wonderful that we can do this thanks to the true friends of our country,” noted Anna Kotlova, Director of the Russian Orthodox Spiritual and Cultural Center in Paris.
Attempts by certain contemporary French authorities to ban or marginalize Russian culture have not succeeded. Public interest remains extremely high. Among the visitors were people originating from no fewer than fourteen countries.
The exhibition is open to the public free of charge until the end of June, after which it will travel to Brussels in the autumn.