London - Royal Academy of Arts
French and Russian Master Paintings 1870-1925. Jan. 2- Apr.18, 2008
From Russia,an exhibition of over 120 paintings of French and Russian 19th and 20th century masterpieces. Picasso, Gaugin, Matisse,Chagall, Tatin, Malevich, and more.
London - Royal Academy of Arts - Russia accumulated modern art
For the last quarter of the 19th century, painters in Moscow and St Petersburg had been overawed by the collections of two wealthy citizens, Ivan Morosov and Sergei Shchukin, who are now regarded as the most daring Russians collectors of their day. The paintings they bought have become some of the most famous of the Impressionist period.
They accumulated works by Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, van Gogh, Gauguin, Matisse and Picasso by the truckload and shipped them back to Russia. In fact, Matisse’s great masterpiece The Dance, was specifically commissioned by Shchukin to hang in the grand staircase of his Moscow mansion. It is huge and dominates the exhibition. There are more than 120 works on show and roughly a third of this impressive exhibition was bought by either of these two collectors.
London - Royal Academy of Arts - These French and Russian Masterpieces almost didn't make it.
In the chaos of the 1917 Russian revolution some of these paintings were seized from private collections which, some would argue, leaves the question of their ownership open to legal challenges. And the possibility of this happening almost caused the Russians to cancel the exhibition. Fortunately, it was all sorted, security was guaranteed, and they are on show for all to see. Hardly from Russia with love, but they delivered the goods in the end
London - Royal Academy of Arts - Founded in 1768
Popularly known as the RA the Royal Academy had an illustrious start in life. It was founded in 1768 by the famous portrait painter Joshua Reynolds and some of his colleagues. It grew out of the private art schools which were popular in the early 18th-century, one of which was headed by William Hogarth
Burlington House on Piccadilly Street is the sole survivor of of a group of 18th-century mansions. Inside its walls are a number of scholarly societies, the best known and the biggest being the Royal Academy of Arts, which is the oldest society in England.
London - Royal Academy of Arts - Offers Art Education and Instruction
Although the Royal Academy has been described as being somewhat conservative, it is still one of the most influential exhibition and teaching centres in the art world. It offers art education and instruction to around 60 aspirational artists each year. The famous annual Summer Exhibition is held every year from May to August and has been for more than two centuries. All artists, irrespective of their training or their nationality, are eligible to submit their work.. Today, the Academy attracts well over one million visitors each year making it one of London's top 10 attractions,
