Vladimir Izdebsky. From the Return Series

A one-man exhibition of the sculptor Vladimir Izdebsky was opened in the State Russian Museum within the framework of the Jubilees — 2005 cycle. The exhibition includes not only sculptures but also paintings and graphics by the artist. Undoubted merit of Izdebsky is that he practically brought the name of Wassily Kandinsky to the attention of the public. Kandinsky contributed about sixty works to the Second Salon and published his own commentaries in the catalogue. First and foremost, the name of Vladimir Izdebsky is familiar to all those interested in the Russian avant-garde due to the famous Izdebsky Salons (1909-11) — the largest in Russia international exhibitions. The first exhibition was held in Odessa (1909), then in Kiev, St Petersburg and Riga (1910) each time comprising about eight hundred works of art. Vladimir Izdebsky was the Salon's organiser , cofounder of "The Green Parrot" (1910) cabaret- theater of satirical miniature and a drama theater at the Harmony Hall (1913) in Odessa, a journalist, an art critic, a publisher, an entrepreneur and, above all, a professional sculptor. He started contributing to exhibitions from1898 onwards. Up to 1925 he had been engaged in creative art process and then there came a lengthy break. Shown to the public on such an unprecedented scale, Vladimir Izdebsky's works are part of the generous gift of Aline Isdebsky-Pritchard, the sculptor's daughter, who has donated over two hundred sculptures, drawings and painterly reliefs by her father to the Russian Museum. A catalogue for the exhibition has been published.