Mir Iskusstva (The World of Art)

The Foundation was extremely fortunate that the State Russian Museum gave us the opportunity to present the quintessential St. Petersburg exhibit, Mir Iskusstva: Russia's Age of Elegance (The World of Art). We are extremely excited about this exhibition and have been pleased that it has attracted the interest it deserves.

As the 19th century came to an end, the cream of St. Petersburg culture came together to transform the arts -- bringing music and opera, dance and theater, and painting closer together. While previous eras of Russia’s cultural history were dotted with foreign artists and architects working in Russia, this new movement sought to develop a distinctive Russian flavor. While not nearly as well known in the West today as the avant-garde painters who followed them, the World of Art movement had an immediate and profound effect on Russian and European culture. The works of Bakst, Benois and others decorated the work of Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes that took Europe by storm. The painters became set designers, the costumes works of art. The unified vision of “art for art’s sake” was realized throughout Russian culture by the cooperative efforts of these artists.

In 1898, the artists of Mir Iskusstva gathered in St. Petersburg for an inaugural exhibit that marked the opening of the State Russian Museum. One hundred years later, the State Russian Museum produced an exhibit of nearly 500 objects to commemorate both the era and its own centennial. This show would include approximately 50 paintings, several bronze works and ceramics pieces, and about 30 works on paper which will change in every city. The power of these works presents a tremendous opportunity for American museums to call attention to a lesser-known, but equally vibrant period of Russian culture.

The exhibit's tour includes Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, NE, the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis, MN, and the Princeton Art Museum in Princeton, NJ. The exhibit is tour the United States for a year.