Natalia Goncharova: The Russian Years

Natalia Goncharova (1891-1962) was a famous Russian painter, graphic artist and book illustrator. She contributed to such leading avant-garde exhibitions as Golden Fleece, Wreath, Link, Jack of Diamonds, Donkey's Tail and Der blaue Reiter, many of which she curated with her lifelong partner Mikhail Larionov. Besides designing and illustrating Futurist books, she also found time to design sets and costumes for Sergei Diaghilev's legendary Ballets Russes. In 1915, Diaghilev invited Goncharova and Larionov to Switzerland. Following the revolution, they settled in France. Natalia Goncharova's oeuvre contains elements of Expressionism often intertwined with religious subjects. In the early 1910s, her Cubo-Futurist manner gave way to Rayonism - a form of non-objective art invented by Mikhail Larionov. The exhibition displays works of painting and graphic art from the Russian Museum and other collections.