Andrei Tarkovsky. Artist of Space

The exhibition is dedicated to the 85th anniversary of Andrei Tarkovsky (1932–1986), famous Russian filmmaker and film director. A renowned master of cinema, Tarkovsky gained international recognition during his lifetime. He is considered the creator of a new language in cinematic art, having introduced new aesthetics and philosophy to it and influenced its further development.

Over the last 25 years, a lot of exhibitions and events dedicated to Andrei Tarkovsky and representation and musealization of his art have been carried out. Many creative people — filmmakers, artists, and photographers — have created a variety of projects thoughtfully reflecting and developing his principles and methods, using his symbolic and imaginative apparatus of artistic vision. Thus, the unique space embodied in the master’s new aesthetics is being filled and expanded. On the other hand, the circle of involvement into this space is growing as well. All of this can constitute the myth and phenomenon of Andrei Tarkovsky today.

The exhibition at the Russian Museum will bring together archival and documentary materials, as well as artworks by a number of authors — artists and photographers who were Tarkovsky’s colleagues, friends, and followers. The display will also include scripts, letters, sketches of costumes and decorations, posters, a selection of documentary films on Tarkovsky, and so on.

The centerpiece of the exhibition are photographs from film sets by various authors, providing original insight into the process of film creation as well as the birth of the myth, and conveying the amazing all-encompassing atmosphere the master created around himself. A special part of the exposition is devoted to drawings and paintings by Andrei Tarkovsky, from his childhood drawings to some of his latest works.

The display of this fragmentary and yet significant material is unprecedented in the exhibition activity of the Russian Museum, possibly marking the beginning of a new extremely interesting and relevant series of exhibitions.

Materials are provided by the Russian and foreign contributors: MOSFILM Cinema Concern (Moscow), The State Central Film Museum (Moscow), State Regional Museum “Museums of the Town of Yuryevets” (Yuryevets), The Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography (Moscow), Gallery “House Nashokin” (Moscow), Curzon Artificial Eye (UK), Magnum Photos (France), Foundation “Nostalghia” (Canada), Tonino Guerra Cultural Foundation (Italy), Swedish Film Institute (Sweden), Marina Tarkovskaya, Layla Alexander-Garrett, Anastasia Alexandrova, Gayane Ambartsumyan, Nikolai Alhazov, Sergei Bessmertny, Evgeny Borzov, Krister Collin, Ebbo Demant, Igor Evlampiev, Viktor Filimonov, Nelli Fomina, Alexander Gordon, Dmitry Gorokhov, Natalya Grigoryeva-Litvinskaya, Lora Guerra, Andrea Holzherr, Arvo Iho, James King, Alexander Karpelson, Yuri Mechitov, Maria Milovzorova, Ivan Morozov, Anastasia Nikitina, Gueorgui Pinkhassov, Boris Prozorov, Dmitry Salynsky, Larissa Solonitsyna, Trond S. Trondsen, Evgeny Tsymbal, Karen Shakhnazarov, Ekaterina Shein, Grigory Verkhovsky, and others.

The Russian Museum would like to thank all the authors and contributors of the project for making this exhibition possible.

The exhibition is opening on September 20, at 4 PM.

On September 21, within the framework of the exhibition at the Stroganov Palace, an open discussion will be held, bringing together the curators, contributors, authors, cinema history experts, and the audience. The discussion will begin at 11 AM.

The exhibition is supported by PAO Severstal, PAO Power Machines, Nordgold company, TUI tourist company