The "Kandinsky and Russia" exhibition takes up the theme already tackled by the Fondation Pierre Gianadda, in 1991.
It echoes the major exhibition of "Chagall in Russia", teeming with works created by the artist in past years in his native country.
The public attending this exhibition saw for the first time seven panels produced for the Jewish theatre in Moscow, which were thereafter tremendously successful in many museums and exhibition halls throughout the world. The subject of "Kandinsky and Russia", however, is more complex. During his creative period, the artist did not stay much in Russia.
The work of this world famous master of the avant-garde is associated just as much with Russia as with Germany and France. "The Russian period"(1898-1921) illustrates the two decades, during which Kandinsky was actively involved in the cultural life of Russia. Since 1896, Kandinsky had been living in Germany.
Yet he returned to his native country almost every year, corresponded with artists and personalities in Russian culture, wrote articles that were published in journals and newspapers and attended exhibitions in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Odessa.
His personal style established itself under the combined influence of the national and contemporary artistic culture of Europe and Russia.
The development of his work led Kandinsky to become the first artist in Russia to get over the representational hurdle and produce abstract pictures. These works, just like his book Du spirituel dans l'art ("The Spiritual Aspect in Art"), the abridged version of which was published in Russia in 1911, strongly influenced the development of avant-garde painters.
Two to three times a year, Kandinsky appeared in Russian art circles through exhibitions. He used them as a means of communicating with the artists of his own country. By regularly showing his colleagues and public the development of his work, which reflected the progress of the new art of Europe, the artist confirmed his contribution to Russia's cultural life.
The aim of the "Kandinsky and Russia" exhibition is to show the artist's works in the context of Russian art of the first two decades of the 20th century.
It aims to introduce the painters who painted alongside him and whose works were summarized or received critical reviews in the press, as well as the artists with whom he worked in the years between 1910 and 1920.
The exhibition displays the works of more than twenty Russian painters who were part of the various art associations of the time. Here we should mention V. Borissov-Moussatov, P.Kouznetsov, V. Milioti, N. Krymov, M. Sarian, Members of the Moscow Society of Artists, the precursor of the art associations of the 1900s, with which Kandinsky was involved for several years.
It also shows the works of the artists of the Val de Carreau, one of the most radical groups from 1910 onwards. The painters in this association (A. Lentoulov, I. Matchkov, P. Kontchalovsky, A. Kouprine, V. Rojdestvensky, A.
Chevtchenko, joined in the initial period by M. Larionov et N. Gontcharova) drew just as much on the work of Cézanne as on the most modern trends in western European painting, primarily Cubism and, to some extent, Expressionism.
On the canvases of these painters visitors were able to see for the first time in Russia Kandinsky's "improvisations", which represented a completely new stage in his work. Kandinsky's most famous painting, the "Composition VII" (Tretiakov National Gallery, Moscow) was shown to the Muscovites for the first time in 1915.
At this exhibition, the aim of which was to surprise the public, visitors were able to admire the works of painters who had become the new heroes of Russian art, notably K. Malevitch and V. Tatline. "Composition VII" and "Composition VI" (National Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg) will be displayed for the first time in Switzerland For the Fondation Gianadda exhibition.
After the First World War started, Kandinsky returned to Russia and lived for some years in Moscow. During this period, his contribution to art changed significantly. By occupying many positions in the recently created scientific and artistic organisations, he took a very active part in cultural construction.
He gave talks, wrote articles and organized museums of new art. With the painters A. Rodtchenko, V. Stepanova, L. Popova, A. Drewin, I. Klioun and V. Bobrov, he contributed to art exhibitions and discussions.
"The Russian period" in Kandinsky's work came to an end at the end of 1921. The artist then left his native country for ever, leaving behind an impressive number of paintings, which are now in various museums in Russia. The exhibition includes more than forty pictorial and graphic works by the painter, the majority of which come from the Tretiakov National Gallery.
The Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Lenbachhaus in Munich and private collectors have lent their works.
The exhibition also has more than eighty paintings and drawings by Russian artists of the years from 1900 to 1910 from the collections of the Tretiakov National Gallery and the Pushkin National Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow and the National Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
Among these works we would cite "The Peacock" by N. Gontcharova, "Vassili the Blessed" by A. Lentoulov, "Density and Weight" (1919) by A. Rodtchenko and the famous "Black Square on White Background" by K. Malevitch.
Ms Lidia Romachkova, Head Curator at the Tretiakov National Gallery in Moscow, is supervising the "Kandinsky and Russia" exhibition.
The catalogue of the "Kandinsky and Russia" exhibition, compiled by the historians at the Tretiakov National Gallery in Moscow, widely documented with display texts, biographies, bibliographies, reproduces in colour all the works displayed (CHF 45.-, euro 30.-).
Order the catalogue
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