Echo of Expressionism

The exhibition for the first time reconstructs the history of Leningrad Expressionism in the unity and diversity of the ways of the plastic form development. Presented artworks closely converge, but their authors, as a rule, did not intersect in life.

The word "Echo" in the title of the exhibition refers to the Expressionism of 1900-1920s. In the official artistic practice of post-war Leningrad, elements of "formalism" were prohibited, and information about the avant-garde of the 1910s was only echoed with its bright and significant creative discoveries. However, the very course of historical events in the twentieth century made Leningrad the mainstay of expressionism, which most fully continued the avant-garde traditions in the artistic space of this city. The siege of Leningrad and political repression of the late forties, and on the other hand, the creativity of modernists who did not obey external pressure – these are the historical prerequisites for a new rise of expressionism in the postwar period.

The exhibition includes works by artists and sculptors A. Rusakov, G. Traugot, V. Yanova, T. Glebova, K. Simun, L. Holina, A. Ignatyev, P. Shuriga, A. Arefiev, Sh. Shvarts, R. Vasmi, V. Shagin, R. Gudzenko, E. Mikhnova-Voytenko, V. Kubasov, S. Gershov, A. Basina, Solomon Rossina, E. Moiseenko, Z. Arshakuni, M. Shemyakina, G. Ustyugov, B. Koshelokhov, T. Novikov, O. Kotelnikova and many others. The exhibition presents about 200 works from the collection of The State Russian Museum, The State Hermitage Museum, The Museum of 20th and 21st Century St. Petersburg Art, The State Museum «Tsarskoselskaya Kollectsiya», The New Museum of Aslan Chehoev, private collections of Roman Babichev, Vladimir Berezovsky, Nikolai Blagodatov, Anna Barinova and other collectors, and also from the workshops of St. Petersburg artists.

The exhibition is supported by The Peter and Irene Ludwig Foundation.