Andrei Vasnetsov. 100th Anniversary of the Artist’s Birth

The exhibition is currently on display in Room 82 on the first floor of the Benois Wing.

The exhibition is timed to the 100th anniversary of Andrei Vasnetsov’s birth (1924–2009). People’s Artist of the USSR, renowned painter, graphic artist, stage designer and teacher, he is well known for his contribution to the development of the severe style in Russian realism.

Born to a creative family, Andrei Vasnetsov was surrounded by art from his childhood. His grandfather Viktor Vasnetsov (1848–1926) is a prominent Russian artist known to everyone for his paintings on historical and folklore subjects that significantly enriched Russian culture. His great-uncle Apollinary Vasnetsov also made a considerable contribution to Russian painting, specialising in historical landscapes. The artist’s father, Vladimir Vasnetsov (1889–1953), was a professor at the Lomonosov Moscow State University. He strongly influenced Andrei Vasnetsov’s artistic talent.

During World War II, Andrei Vasnetsov served at the Bryansk Front rising from a private to a sergeant and Komsomol organiser of the battalion. He fought in many battles and went through the main stages of the Great Patriotic War starting with combats in Oryol and ending with battles in Königsberg. For this, Andrei Vasnetsov was awarded orders and medals.

A student of such masters as Alexander Deineka, Andrei Goncharov and Pavel Sokolov-Skalya, Andrei Vasnetsov strove to provide his works with structural integrity and spatial logic of the composition combining local colour with light and shade. Feeling the spirit of the time, he chose a unique “black palette” and created an inimitable monumental style that helped him to achieve structural completeness in his works.

Andrei Vasnetsov was deeply involved in public life and teaching. He was a Full Member of the Russian Academy of Arts and a winner of the USSR State Prize and Presidential Prize of the Russian Federation. From 1988 to 1992, Andrei Vasnetsov headed the Artists’ Union of the USSR and, in 1998, he became a member of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Arts. An outstanding teacher, Andrei Vasnetsov mentored more than one generation of gifted students and followers of his unique artistic language.

The exhibition of Andrei Vasnetsov’s works, corresponding with Viktor Vasnetsov’s anniversary exhibition at the Russian Museum, not only pays tribute to the artistic heritage of the Vasnetsov dynasty but also gives the public a great opportunity to immerse themselves deeper into the rich world of Russian painting and to appreciate its diversity.

Age restriction: 0+