Wassily Kandinsky and Russia

Wassily Kandinsky and Russia

Russian Museum, Benois Wing
September 22 — December 4, 2016

Ror the first time the oeuvre of Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944), the world-renown Russian artist, is represented with special emphasis on the national origins of his early figurative works and abstract paintings of the 1910s. The exhibition, dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the artist, is comprised of his graphic and painterly works alongside with the pieces by his prominent contemporaries (Ivan Bilibin, Elena Polenova, Sergei Malyutin, Mikhail Larionov, Natalia Goncharova, Kazimir Malevich, David Burliuk, Alexey Yawlensky, Marianna Verevkina and others). These artists together with Kandinsky in the Izdebsky Salons and “The Blue Rider” group exhibitions and reflected the symbolism, expressionism and art nouveau trends.

The exposition will also include the examples of traditional Russian folk art (distaffs, birch bark boxes, embroidered towels, toys, carved wooden items) that largely influenced the stylistic and ideological principles of Wassily Kandinsky’s art.

The works on display are selected from the collection of the State Russian Museum, State Tretyakov Gallery, Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Hermitage and other museum collections.