Exhibition 'Viktor Borisov-Musatov'

About exhibition

The State Tretyakov Gallery presents an exhibition dedicated to one of the most striking and unexpected artists of the turn of the 19th–20th centuries — Viktor Borisov-Musatov. The life and work of Viktor Borisov-Musatov were characterized by constant movement, self-improvement, and the overcoming of difficult circumstances. Borisov-Musatov is associated with the Silver Age and Symbolism, yet his art also attracted the attention of future representatives of the artistic avant-garde. The project will introduce visitors to the artist's unique working method, which integrated photography into his creations. The relationship between the photographic study and the photographic sketch and the artist's painted works will be one of the exhibition's key themes. A special section of the exhibition will be devoted to sketches for monumental murals that reflect the artist's explorations in the synthesis of the arts and his efforts to extend art into real life. The exhibition will present more than 140 works by Viktor Borisov-Musatov from twenty museums and private collections, including well-known masterpieces such as 'Self-Portrait with Sister' (1898, State Russian Museum), 'Tapestry' (State Tretyakov Gallery, 1901), 'Emerald Necklace' (State Tretyakov Gallery, 1903–1904), 'Portrait of a Lady' (State Tretyakov Gallery, 1902), and 'Autumn' (1905).