Museum Сollection presents the exhibition "Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder" that brings together unique sculptures and postcards from the museum Repository. The exposition is dedicated to creative dialogue between French and Russian sculptors of the second half of the 19^th – early 20^th centuries.

Art items by Mathurin Moreau (1822-1912), Antonin Mercié (1845-1916), Emmanuel Villanis (1858-1914) and Godefroid Devreese (1861-1941) are the centrepiece of the exhibition. Each of the sculptors focused his creative work on the search for contemporary beauty observances.

The first viewers were raptured by those sculptures and perceived them as the highest achievement of virtuoso technique and frontier science of the era. In our days, the sculptures of the Parisian academicians are historical testimonies of the time, contributing to the understanding of the ongoing historical and cultural processes in both France and Russia. Thanks to its rapid industrial and artistic development, Paris in the second half of the 19^th – early 20^th centuries was the centre of attraction for painters and sculptors from all over the world.

The works of French academicians presented in the exposition are complemented by the sculptures of talented Russian artisans: Matvei Chizhov (1838-1916), Maria Dillon (1858-1932) and Naum Aronson (1872-1943). Throughout their lives, these sculptors engaged in active creative dialogue with French colleagues contemporary to them, were striving to assimilate, interpret and adapt the experience and traditions of French academism.

The creative biographies of these underestimated artisans provide a new perspective on the socio-economic aspects of Franco-Russian artistic contacts: differences in the programmes and structure of studies at the academies, details of the organisation of boarding trips, and the peculiarities of collecting and patronage.

Postcards of the late 19^th century with the images of sculptures and city views presented in the exhibition reveal these aspects in a new way.

While the exhibition "Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder" will open, we plan to post thematic materials dealing with the exhibition and information about the events to be held within its framework on the museum's website.
Excursions through the thematic exposition for visitors will start from July 23, 2024.
You can sign up for an excursion on the museum website in the "Contact Information" section.