“The first comprehensive exhibition on the subject in Israel The Russian Avant-Garde and Beyond will explore avant-garde trends in Russian art during the 20th century, focusing on the emergence of the art movements that accompanied the historical and political upheavals in the country. Beginning with Kazimir Malevich’s radical revolution in art prior to the year 1920, the exhibition will emphasize his Suprematist period and its significant influence on generations of prominent artists up to the present day. This will be followed by an exploration of Nonconformist Art that emerged after Stalin’s death, presenting artists such as Ilya Kabakov, Erik Bulatov, Michail Grobman and Vitali Komar & Alexander Melamid, among others, who opposed official Socialist Realism and created art unofficially from the 1960s through the 1980s. The exhibition’s epilogue will address the legacy of each of these movements in the works of contemporary artists, such as Pavel Pepperstein and Vadim Zakharov, highlighting the continuity of the avant-garde tradition. Complementing the exhibition will be an ‘archive’ that will include major examples of the Russian avant-garde book, as well as letters, invitations, photographs, and other ephemera.” — The Israel Museum
Kazimir Malevich, Russian, 1879–1935. Funerarian, costume design for the opera Victory over the Sun by M. Matyushin and A. Kruchenykh, 1st Futurist Theater, St. Petersburg, 1913. Graphite and watercolor on paper, 27 x 21.1 cm. St. Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music. Photo © The St. Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music
Kazimir Malevich, Russian, 1879–1935. Bully, costume design for the opera Victory over the Sun by M. Matyushin and A. Kruchenykh, 1st Futurist Theater, St. Petersburg, 1913. Graphite and watercolor on paper, 26.7 x 21 cm. St. Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music. Photo © The St. Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music
Kazimir Malevich, Russian, 1879–1935. New Person, costume design for the opera Victory over the Sun by M. Matyushin and A. Kruchenykh, 1st Futurist Theater, St. Petersburg, 1913. Graphite, watercolor, and ink on paper, 27 x 21 cm. St. Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music. Photo © The St. Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music
Kazimir Malevich, Russian, 1879–1935. Many and One, costume design for the opera Victory over the Sun by M. Matyushin and A. Kruchenykh, 1st Futurist Theater, St. Petersburg, 1913. Graphite, watercolor, and india ink on paper, 27.1 x 22.1 cm St. Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music. Photo © The St. Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music
Kazimir Malevich, Russian, 1879–1935.Set design for the opera Victory over the Sun by M. Matyushin and A. Kruchenykh, 1st Futurist Theater, St. Petersburg, 1913, 1st Doing, 3rd Scene. Graphite on paper, 17.7 x 22.2 cm. St. Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music. Photo © The St. Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music
Kazimir Malevich, Russian, 1879–1935. Set design for the opera Victory over the Sun by M. Matyushin and A. Kruchenykh, 1st Futurist Theater, St. Petersburg, 1913, 2nd Doing [Act], 5th Scene. Graphite on paper, 21.5 x 27.5 cm. St. Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music. Photo © The St. Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music
Pavel Pepperstein, born USSR 1966, active USSR/Russia. El Lissitzky’s Autostrada in the Alps in 2401, 2017. Watercolor on paper, 50 x 70 cm. The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Purchase, Ruth and Joseph Bromberg Fund and Barbara and Eugene Schwartz Contemporary Art Acquisition Endowment Fund. B18.0551 © Pavel Pepperstein. Photo courtesy of Nahodka Arts, London, by Nataliya Tazbash
Pavel Pepperstein, born USSR 1966, active USSR/Russia. Communist spared station “Jupiter” in the Year 3017, 2017. Watercolor on paper, 50 x 70 cm. The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Purchase, Ruth and Joseph Bromberg Fund and Barbara and Eugene Schwartz Contemporary Art Acquisition Endowment Fund. B18.0552 © Pavel Pepperstein. Photo courtesy of Nahodka Arts, London, by Nataliya Tazbash
Pavel Pepperstein, born USSR 1966, active USSR/Russia. The way of Communication in the Year 5781, 2017. Watercolor on paper, 50 x 70 cm. The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Purchase, Ruth and Joseph Bromberg Fund and Barbara and Eugene Schwartz Contemporary Art Acquisition Endowment Fund. B18.0553 © Pavel Pepperstein. Photo courtesy of Nahodka Arts, London, by Nataliya Tazbash
Zoya Cherkassky, born USSR 1976, active Israel. “This (is the bread of affliction . . .)” from Aachen Passover Haggadah, 2001–2. Fifty pages, ink, gouache, and watercolor on paper, 28 x 41 cm each. The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Purchased with the support of ARTVISION Acquisitions Committee, Israel. B04.0906 © Zoya Cherkassky. Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by Elie Posner
Zoya Cherkassky, born USSR 1976, active Israel. “Blood” from Aachen Passover Haggadah, 2001–2. Fifty pages, ink, gouache, and watercolor on paper, 28 x 41 cm each. The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Purchased with the support of ARTVISION Acquisitions Committee, Israel. B04.0906 © Zoya Cherkassky. Photo © The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by Elie Posner
El Lissitzky, born Russia, active Russia/USSR and Germany, 1890–1941. Study for “Here it ended, further” in Of Two Squares: A Suprematist Tale in Six Constructions, 1920. Gouache and graphite on paper, 22.9 x 18.4 cm. Private collection. Photo courtesy of the collector
Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid Komar, born USSR 1943, Melamid born USSR 1945, active USSR and Israel, today active USA. Double Self-Portrait, from the “Sots Art” series, 1972. Oil on canvas laid on board, Diam. 92 cm. Collection of David and Kathryn Birnbaum © Komar & Melamid. Photo by Naomi van der Lande
Erik Bulatov, born USSR 1933, active USSR and USA, today active France. Red Horizon, 1971–72. Oil on canvas, 140 x 180 cm. Museum of Avant-Garde Mastery (MAGMA) Erik Bulatov © ADAGP, Paris, 2018. Photo courtesy of Museum of Avant-Garde Mastery
Vadim Zakharov, born USSR 1959, active USSR and Germany. The History of Russian Art from the Russian Avant-Garde to the Moscow Conceptual School, 2003. Mixed media, 360 x 605 x 390 cm. Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt am Main © Vadim Zakharov. Photo by Axel Schneider, Frankfurt am Main
The exhibition includes works from the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Center Pompidou in Paris, The Michail Grobman collection in Tel Aviv and other important collections.
The Russian Avant-Garde and Beyond is curated by Tanya Sirakovich, Michael Bromberg Head Curator, Ruth and Joseph Bromberg Department of Prints and Drawings.
Images courtesy The Israel Museum.