The Russian Museum

The album reproduces works dedicated to the Victory in World War II created by children aged 5--17 studying at various art schools, art centers and studios in St Petersburg and other regions of Russia. The book includes two articles, poems by Soviet poets, fragments of reminiscences of artists who worked in Leningrad during the Siege, album with a catalogue and information on the exhibition participants.
The publication was supported by the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Center.

The publication presents the project of the Tanatos Banionis group of artists, professional masters of tattoos. The articles feature the artists' concept, based on the idea of Japanese kamikazes' deeds during World War II. Five girls-models participating in the project covered their backs with Samurai tattoos. The book includes photographs that captured the process of making tattoos, final photo session of the project and stopframes of video about pilots attacking ships in the open sea.
The publication was supported by the Triumph Gallery (Moscow).

The publication presents a series of prominent figures in the history of Russia: from the legendary Varangian Rurik to renowned figures of the late Soviet epoch. They appear on the book pages in the context of a historical myth and those dramatic collisions that involved the country during many centuries. Vivid images made by a creative imagination of outstanding painters, graphic artists, sculptors, masters of decorative and applied art, enable readers to visually experience stirring episodes of the distant as well as of rather recent past, feel unique and tragic beauty of national history. The publication includes an introductory article, historical chronicle, biographies of depicted persons and annotations to works. Some materials are given both in English and Russian. The book is supplemented with a CD containing comprehensive information and additional illustrations to the album sections.
The publication was supported by Sistema Finance Investments.

The authors of the book tried to make a review of the most significant works from Russian Museum unique collection of Old Russian art dedicated to images of Russian saints. The publication includes articles featuring traditions of the depiction of saints and life scenes in the 13th--20th centuries. The reproduced icons and works of decorative and applied art are accompanied by necessary information: detailed annotations, cross references, alphabetic index of Russian saints, vitae of righteous men. The edition emphasises the role of the first Russian saints -- Princes Boris and Gleb, Venerable Sergius of Radonezh and Kirill of Belozersk, -- enlighteners and educators of many generations of Russian monasticism; some sections of the book are dedicated to their disciples and followers. The catalogue is supplemented with a CD containing comprehensive information and additional illustrations to the album sections.
The publication was supported by Sistema Finance Investments and Severstal.

The publication presents the oeuvre of the prize-winners of 1 Photobiennale of the Russian Museum. The album includes recognised by professional jury social reportages of Andrei Shapran from Chukotka and Kamchatka, photographs of Tatiana Zubkova from the End of the Season and Lifes Chapiteau cycles featuring everyday life of travelling circus actors, as well as works by Oleg Kaplin on religious subjects from the Lavra, Singing Deacons and Old Believers series. The catalogue includes an article on the history of shooting prize-winning series. It describes the oeuvre of the photographers and preparation of the Photobiennale, which over 400 photographers from 80 regions of Russia contributed to.
The publication was supported by the Peter and Irene Ludwig Foundation (Aachen, Germany).

The book acquaints readers with the oeuvre of the dilettante-artists Prince Grigory Gagarin whose works revealed his true talent to contemporaries and posterity. The album comprises numerous portraits of renowned contemporaries, studies, drawings and watercolours created by Grigory Gagarin in the 1830s--1890s. The book includes two research articles: first is dedicated to life and work of the master, the other one describes the Russian Museum collection of Gagarin's drawings and watercolours.

The publication is dedicated to famous portraits of the Smolny Institute pupils and newly-discovered works by Dmitry Levitsky. It offers a research, reconstructing the history of the Smolny girls portraits: from creation to their awarding to the Russian Museum, on the basis of archival documents. The book includes articles on the history of restoration of Dmitry Levitsky's portraits in the 19th--20th centuries, on the results of modern restoration and technological research and the latest restoration. In the appendix there is an analysis of the master's 7 artworks discovered over the last quarter of the century including works that were considered to be attributed to unknown artists until recently. The book comprises reproductions of Dmitry Levitsky's paintings, their details, as well as documentary photographs made at various stages of restoration and in the process of research. The catalogue was supplemented with a short biography of the artist.

he publication acquaints Russian readers with the oeuvre of Lee Kwang-Ha, a contemporary artist from South Korea. Harmonious interaction between Korean art traditions and modern tendencies of Western-European Abstractionism form the basis of the artist's oeuvre. In all works on the subjects of seasons, moon-light, aromas, festivals and family, the master tells a story about love - "Love Story" - that is faithfully and laconically conveyed in colours, lines and symbols. The article, addressing Lee Kwang-Ha's oeuvre, precedes the album section presenting painting and graphic art. The publication is supplemented with a short biography of the artist, a list of solo and group exhibitions that he contributed to.

The book starts with the article, analysing the main stages of Russian genre art in painting, drawing, watercolours, engraving and lithography from its formation in the 18th century to the epoch of flourishing in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries, when illustrated books and magazines were widespread. The album reproduces works by Ivan Ermenev, Paul Barbier, Jean-Baptiste Le Prince, Pavel Fedotov, Alexei Venetsianov, Alexander Orlovsky, Vasily Timm, Vladimir Makovsky and Ilya Repin. The final section of the publication includes biographies of artists.

This is the first-ever publication in Russia addressing the oeuvre of twelve contemporary Japanese artists. In the artists' works principles of Western topical art are reconsidered under the influence of ukiyo-e ("pictures from the floating world"), a unique technique of traditional Japanese drawings and engravings. The book includes articles by Japanese and Russian art historians, biographies of artists and reproductions of their works.
The publication was supported by the Gallery Shiraishi (Tokyo) and the Russian Academy of Arts.

The book presents the oeuvre of the subtle graphic artist Valentina Kropivnitskaya, wife of the non-conformist artist Oscar Rabin, most fully and diversely for the first time. Fantastic world of her characters permeated with delicate harmony with nature is presented in a comprehensive album section and interpreted in articles by Russian and foreign art historians. The book is supplemented with the artist's biography, list of one-woman shows and museum collections, where her works can be found.
The publication was supported by Iveta and Tamaz Manasherov, UNIDENT company, U-Art: You and Art Cultural and Charitable Foundation, DRC group of companies and A&C-Projects.

The publication is a unique project addressing the oeuvre of Soviet non-conformist artists, representing "another", unofficial art of the second half of the 20th century from the Ludwig museums. The main peculiarity of the collection is an author's principle of artworks selection, which was realised by Peter and Irene Ludwig in the process of forming their private collection. The catalogue comprises works of painting, sculpture and graphic art.
Articles on the history of forming the outstanding collection of Peter and Irene Ludwig take pride of place in the book. They feature opinions of authoritative experts in culture and the humanities and representatives of creative intelligentsia on the collection. The book includes an original text of a lecture on contemporary Soviet art, read by Peter Ludwig in 1988.
A detailed illustrated catalogue reproduces over 800 works from the Ludwig museums.
The publication was supported by the Peter and Irene Ludwig Foundation (Aachen, Germany).

This is the first ever publication of the Russian Museum dedicated to the theme of the sky in art from ancient times to the present day: painting, sculpture, graphic art, photographs and installations by Russian and foreign artists. The introductory article, preceding the album section, analyses techniques and shades of meaning of the sky's depiction in Old Russian painting, landscape, portraiture of the 18th--19th centuries and topical art. The book includes unique photographs of nebulae, provided by NASA (USA) under the auspices of the Pulkovo Observatory, and short biographies of artists.
The publication was supported by Iveta and Tamaz Manasherov, UNIDENT company and U-Art: You and Art Cultural Charitable Foundation.

The catalogue addresses the oeuvre of Nikolai Smirnov. Although the artist is drawn by the genre of the trompe-l'oeil, he created his own trend in art - historical still-life. The album presents illustrations with detailed comments, as well as articles on the oeuvre and creative path of the artist. The book is supplemented with a comprehensive interview of Nikolai Smirnov and a list of exhibitions.
The publication was supported by the Leonid Shishkin Gallery (Moscow).

The publication addresses the oeuvre of 20th-century avant-garde artist Petr Konchalovsky. The album section includes works, executed in different genres (landscapes, portraits and still-lifes) showing the depth and variety of his oeuvre. Andrei Konchalovsky's article, which is a personal address of a grandson to a grandfather, precedes the album section.

In the articles, Russian and foreign experts research the interaction between Petr Konchalovsky's oeuvre and the world art tendencies of the late 19th - early 20th centuries: from Cézannism to Fauvism, Primitivism, main trends of Russian Avant-garde. They analyse the thematic variety of his works as well as periods of the artist's interest in nature and subject, works and techniques of old masters: Rembrandt, Titian. The book includes chronicle of Petr Konchalovsky's life and work, excerpts from his memoirs and reminiscences of contemporaries.

The publication was supported by the Government of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Petr Konchalovsky Foundation, Gazprom and VTB Bank.

The publication addresses the oeuvre of Edward Bekkerman, a contemporary American artist of Russian origin. He has been working on the creation of images, destined to depict the outside world, for twenty years. Articles preceding the album section, research the evolution of Bekkerman's ideas and views, analyse the development of his expressive manner with relation to approaches and methods that the artist resorts to, and define the place of his works in art.
The publication was supported by ABA GALLERY NY.

The publication addresses the oeuvre of the St Petersburg artist Lisa Mikhailova. St Petersburg, the artist's native town, is one of the central themes in her art. The introductory article analyses the evolution and development of the artist's painterly manner. The album presents views of St Petersburg, Venice, Jerusalem and New York, created by Lisa Mikhailova.

This is the first ever publication in Russia addressing the oeuvre of Eric Peters, a renowned German contemporary artist. In the artist's works a daring quest for new meanings is naturally combined with the mastery of a professional painter. The book contains two articles by renowned foreign and Russian art historians. Lists of solo and group exhibitions, the artist's biography and album section acquaint readers with the main stages of Eric Peters' creative path and his works.

The publication presents over one hundred works by Russian artists from the collection of the Russian Museum. The main subject of the reproduced works is Russian winter. Along with works of painting, graphic art, decorative and applied art the book is illustrated by artistic photographs. It includes article on winter landscape in the Russian fine art and literature of the 18th--20th centuries.
The publication was supported by Sistema Finance Investments and Mobile TeleSystems.

The publication reproduces works by Luciano Ventrone, a contemporary Italian hyperrealist artist. The artists resorts to modern painterly techniques, original compositional solutions and ultramodern lighting equipment. His still-lifes feature an infinite variety of reality in the kaleidoscope of familiar forms and hardly appreciable changes of atmosphere and mood in the thought-out staged scenes. The article preceding the album section acquaints readers with the oeuvre of the master and enables to conceive his works.
The publication was prepared in collaboration with the Chiari Home Gallery (Italy) and with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Italy), the Ministry of National Heritage and Culture (Italy) and the Consulate General of Italy in St Petersburg.

The publication presents numerous samples of commercial and industrial advertising from the collection of the Russian Museum, dating from the period of its flourishing: from works executed in the realist manner to exquisite prints in Art Nouveau, from posters in the manner of lubok to formal experiments of constructivist artists. The introductory article features formation and stylistic evolution of early advertising posters in Russia. The book addresses the oeuvre of the renowned Soviet poster designed Dmitry Bulanov and the history of the State Advertising Bureau in Leningrad that the master actively collaborated with. The book is supplemented with biographies of artists.

The publication was supported by Severstal.

The publication acquaints readers with Alexander Benois' works created in various periods and dedicated to Versailles, a unique ensemble of park and gardening art of the 17th century. The introductory article addresses in details the history of the artist's work on the "Versailles series" in 1897--1898 and 1905--1906. Alexander Benois' article on Versailles takes pride of place. It preceded a published in 1922 album of engravings made after the artist's drawings. In the album section there are landscapes of the Versailles parks, views of ponds and fountains, genre scenes whose main character was Louis XIV. The book ends up with a short biography of the artists.
The publication was supported by NOVATEK.

The publication acquaints readers with the oeuvre of the New Artists and Necrorealists, the leading art groups of the underground culture of the 1980s -- early 1990s. The articles by leading Russian art historians feature the process of forming a new art language during the break-up of the Soviet reality by the example of work of Timur Novikov, Oleg Kotelnikov, Vadim Ovchinnikov, Georgy Guryanov, Victor Tsoi, Andrei Khlobystin and Evgeny Yufit. Historical materials are illustrated by photographs from private archives of representatives of the Leningrad Underground and supplemented with unique documents and materials. The edition includes poems of artists, their biographies and selected bibliography.

The publication addresses a life chronicle of the American paratrooper Joseph Beyrle who fought during World War II for both the American and Soviet Armies, and the history of his military training and combat service in the Red Army. A special section is dedicated to Operation Overlord. A chronicle of war time, numerous photographs, archival documents, posters and preserved historical documents reveal the fate of a man as well as the whole generation. A CD is based on the catalogue's materials and includes unique films about WWII.
The publication was prepared in collaboration with the Foundation for International Arts and Education and supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation.

The publication presents the oeuvre of the non-conformist artist Michael Odnoralov, a student of Robert Falk. Michael Odnoralov organised exhibitions of unofficial art in Moscow in the 1960s and 1970s. The book contains articles by Russian and American art historians, dedicated to the Moscow period of the artist's oeuvre and his New York works (from 1984) as well as Alice from Lower East Side large-scale cycle. The catalogue includes the artist's biography and information on his group and one-man shows.