March 13, 2024

Centennial Celebration of Avant-Garde Art


Centennial Celebration of Avant-Garde Art
The Birthday (1915), Marc Chagall.  Museum of Modern Art, NY. 

This spring, the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center in Moscow will reconstruct an exhibit of avant-garde Jewish artists originally curated in 1922. The exhibit, "The Jewish Avant-Garde 1910–1930. Chagall, Altman, Shterenberg, and Others,” traces the development of experimental art in the early twentieth century from folk art to the avant-garde style that came to greatly influence early Soviet aesthetics.

Curator Maria Gadas designed the exhibition halls to replicate the original Moscow location as closely as possible and even hung the paintings in the same places. Artwork was loaned out by the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg as well as the Pushkin Museum in Moscow.

Many of the paintings by Marc Chagall from the original exhibit are currently in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery. While the Tretyakov collaborated with the Jewish Museum, they did not loan out their Chagalls, which meant that projections of the paintings had to be "hung" in their places. The exhibit is also the first time many of these works, including those by David Shterenberg, Natan Altman, and Joseph Chaikov, have been exhibited publicly. 

The exhibition aims to demonstrate how the work of these artists 102 years ago laid the foundation for world art in the twentieth century. 

You Might Also Like

Russian Ladies of the Avant-garde
  • January 16, 2001

Russian Ladies of the Avant-garde

Set against the backdrop of revolution and civil war the Avant-garde period in Russia was very dynamic. In honor of International Women's Day (March 8), we take a look at the lives and works of six very special Avant-garde artists.
Listen and Learn: Shostakovich Turns 110
  • September 25, 2016

Listen and Learn: Shostakovich Turns 110

Dmitry Shostakovich created classical music that spoke to modern times. Read up on his life story and listen along to some of finest works along the way. 
The Soviet Creative
  • April 05, 2021

The Soviet Creative

In the Soviet period, artists were treated with esteem and lived comfortably, but their privileged position also required sacrifice.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955