In Memory of Timur Novikov

The current exhibition is a tribute to the memory of a prominent St Petersburg artist Timur Novikov who died recently. The exposition includes the works created by the artist and donated by him to the Russian Museum. The Russian Museum has always been dear to the heart of the artist. When a schoolboy Novikov attended the classes of young art historians' club. Later he worked as a boiler operator in the museum and thus had the access to the museum's storage rooms. In the late 1980s when works of actual art first appeared within the walls of the museum Timur Novikov had already been a renowned master of underground art and his works were among the first of their kind to be exhibited in the Russian Museum. Since that time he has always contributed to museums' exhibitions. Cultural life in St Petersburg and Russia of the1990s was marked by the activities of The New Academy of Fine Arts founded by Timur Novikov. In 1991 Timur Novikov donated to the Russian Museum his collection of artworks created by the 'New Artists' group members. The group was founded by him in 1982.