Exhibition 'In Search of the Archaic in the Age of Modernism: On the 150th Anniversary of A. A. Miller'

About exhibition

The exhibition is dedicated to the anniversary of A. A. Miller — an archaeologist, ethnologist, collector, and organizer of museum affairs. The exhibition materials introduce visitors for the first time to his multifaceted legacy, primarily the invaluable collections assembled by A. A. Miller among the Abkhaz, the Adyghe, Armenians, Aisors, Belarusians, Jews, Kalmyks, the peoples of Dagestan, Ossetians, Russians, and Tatars. Guided by his scientific approach, A. A. Miller sought ethnographic material that reflected ancient features of local cultures. The main thread of the exhibition is aligned with the scholar’s life path. The exhibition’s structure includes sections such as 'Formation of the archaeologist, paleoethnographer, ethnologist', 'A. A. Miller — organizer of the activities of the Ethnographic Department of the Russian Museum of Alexander III (ED RM) (1906–1918/1923)', 'A. A. Miller as a collector for the ED RM', and 'A. A. Miller — organizer of the North Caucasus expedition of the State Academy of the History of Material Culture.' The exhibition presents tools of mountain agriculture, various craft tools, spinning and weaving implements, unique costume items, rare carpets, archaic jewelry, and cult objects of local beliefs and world religions. The material artifacts are complemented by expedition photographs that introduce the cultural landscape and recreate the vivid atmosphere of everyday life.