A May Day parade in Moscow’s Red Square is one of the paintings in a spring exhibition of Art Russe works on display at Beaulieu in the first dedicated Soviet Russian art gallery in the UK.
Igor Rubinski’s A Feast Day Parade shows the solidarity of Russians taking part in the traditional parade and is one of more than 15 paintings and sculptures on show in Palace House throughout the summer.
Lord Montagu and Art Russe have established a permanent showcase of Russian art at Beaulieu, one of the leading attractions in the south. The Art Russe fund is headed by entrepreneur and philanthropist Andrey Filatov and its projects aim to promote 20th century Russian art and increase awareness about this significant period in the history of Russian art to an international audience.
Anne Parsons, Projects Co-ordinator at Palace House, said: “The new spring exhibition includes diverse works of art ranging from A Feast Day Parade, which perfectly conveys the great power of human unity, to the beautiful perfection in oils of Nikolai Fechin’s Daisies, which was painted after his emigration from Russia to the United States and suggests the positive influence the sunshine had on his art in the 1930s.”
Art Russe founder Andrey Filatov said: “The permanent Russian art gallery at Beaulieu is one of Art Russe’s most significant projects aimed at popularising Russian art. We hope that the public in the UK will appreciate the masterpieces of Russian paintings and sculptures, many of which have been in private collections and have not been shown in public for decades.”
The spring exhibition displays artworks from the late 19th century to the 1990s, a period which most fully reflects the main stages of development of the Russian school of art. The exhibition includes works by Alexey Belykh (Spring in Volga, 1968), Semen Chuikov (Evening in Kirghizia, 1940), Joseph Stalin’s favourite artist Aleksander Gerasimov (Peonies, 1931), Tatyana Kopnina (Girls, 1960), former locomotive building apprentice Vladimir Masik (Naïve Melodies, 1989), Peter Ossovski (The Church, 1981-89), Vladimir Stozharov (Shotova River, 1966) and Fedot Sychkov (Girl with the flowery shawl, 1933).
The exhibition also features bronze sculptures by Serge Yourievitch (Dancer Nattova, 1915), Oleg Komov (Window cleaner, 1958), Vera Mukhina (Worker and the Kolkoz Woman, 1940) and Elena Yanson-Manizer (Discus thrower, 1950).
The spring exhibition is on display in a gallery space created in a wing of Palace House, which had previously been part of the late Edward, Lord Montagu’s private apartment. The newly opened section also includes the late Lord Montagu’s library and the exhibition The Lady and the Rebel, which is a tribute to two remarkable women in the Montagu family and tells the story of Pearl Pleydell-Bouverie and Elizabeth Montagu through their own words and possessions. The Art Russe exhibition will be regularly updated with new collections of paintings and sculptures as the seasons change throughout the year.
Entrance to the gallery and the former private wing of Palace House is included in a general admission ticket to Beaulieu. A visit to Beaulieu includes entrance to the National Motor Museum and its collection of more than 250 vehicles, the World of Top Gear, On Screen Cars, the 13th century Beaulieu Abbey and the stunning grounds and gardens. Tickets can be bought in advance online or on the door. For tickets or more information see www.beaulieu.co.uk or call 01590 612345.
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