Tag Archives: Russian Photography

Cartier II – MARJORIE MERRIWEATHER POST

CARTIER: MARJORIE MERRIWEATHER POST’S DAZZLING GEMS, Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens, Washington DC, until December 31, 2014

Portrait of Marjorie Merriweather Post, 1946 Frank O. Salisbury England Post wears Cartier diamond and sapphire Art Deco necklace Courtesy Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens

Portrait of Marjorie Merriweather Post, 1946
Frank O. Salisbury
England
Post wears Cartier diamond and sapphire Art Deco necklace
Courtesy Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens

Although there are two factors that suggest that I should not write about this – one the distance from London and two the fact that it is nearly over – I will still mention it in association with my Cartier book review.

Necklace, 1936/1937 Centerpiece by Cartier, New York Sapphires, diamonds, platinum Courtesy Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens

Necklace, 1936/1937
Centerpiece by Cartier, New York
Sapphires, diamonds, platinum
Courtesy Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens

While many of you will know of Mrs Post’s collections of French and Russian decorative arts (the latter is considered the best outside of Russia) she was also a serious collector of jewellery of the highest quality and ranks among the great American Cartier patrons. This exhibition which combines Hillwood’s own holdings of her jewellery and some of the jewellery she donated to the Smithsonian in 1964 reflects her taste and style. Among the loans is the Maximilian Emerald ring, named after the ill-fated Mexican Emperor, which she wore when presented at the English Royal court in 1929. She also had a French carpet that belonged to the Emperor in her Hillwood dining room.

Photograph of Marjorie Post taken at the time of her presentation of the Court of St. James’s in 1929. Courtesy Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens

Photograph of Marjorie Post taken at the time of her presentation of the Court of St. James’s in 1929.
Courtesy Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens

Nor were her Cartier purchases and commissions restricted to jewellery as she ordered frames in enamel, agate and onyx, sometimes adorned with semi-precious stones which were specially designed to complement the intended image they were to contain. Gem-set gold vanity cases and an extensive silver and enamel dressing table set were among her other purchases.

Compact and Lipstick Case, ca. 1920 Cartier, New York Gold, enamel, lapis lazuli, diamonds This Cartier piece serves both practical and decorative purposes. The lipstick case and compact are both enameled in black and white with lapis lazuli and diamond accents. Each component suspends from enameled chains that attach to a gold ring. The interior of the compact is fitted with a mirror and also has a small compartment for coins. The ring to which the compact and lipstick case are attached can be slipped onto a finger so that the items can also be worn as an accessory. Courtesy Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens

Compact and Lipstick Case, ca. 1920
Cartier, New York
Gold, enamel, lapis lazuli, diamonds
This Cartier piece serves both practical and decorative purposes. The lipstick case and compact are both enameled in black and white with lapis lazuli and diamond accents. Each component suspends from enameled chains that attach to a gold ring. The interior of the compact is fitted with a mirror and also has a small compartment for coins. The ring to which the compact and lipstick case are attached can be slipped onto a finger so that the items can also be worn as an accessory.
Courtesy Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens

Although the exhibition ends soon some of her jewellery is displayed in Hillwood; a house that perfectly reflects her interests and style and should be a must see place for any visitor to Washington DC.

Frames with Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna and Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna, ca. 1910 Cartier frame Gold, silver, enamel, ivory Courtesy Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens

Frames with Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna and Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna, ca. 1910
Cartier frame
Gold, silver, enamel, ivory
Courtesy Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens

http://www.HillwoodMuseum.org

SOME RUSSIAN ART ON SHOW IN LONDON

Oleg Tselkov – ‘ALTER EGO’, Alon Zakaim Fine Art, 5-7 Dover St. London W1, until 28thNovember 2014

Oleg Tselkov (b. 1934) Portrait with mask 2002 oil on canvas 100 x 100cm Credit Oleg Tselkov.

Oleg Tselkov (b. 1934)
Portrait with mask
2002
oil on canvas
100 x 100cm
Credit Oleg Tselkov.

Now in his eightieth year Oleg Tselkov is one of the most highly regarded and influential artists of his generation. His vibrant, powerful works have immediate impact as the figures are universal.

www.alonzakaim.com

 

Russian Avant-Garde Theatre: War, Revolution and Design 1913 – 1933, V&A Museum, London SW7, until 25 January 2015

Costume design for Bedbug 1929 Alexander Rodchenko © A. A. Bakhrushin State Central Theatre Museum


Costume design for Bedbug
1929
Alexander Rodchenko
© A. A. Bakhrushin State Central Theatre Museum

This exhibition which is organised in collaboration with the A. A. Bakhrushin State Central Theatre Museum shows how both the Revolution and the First World War were elements in the transformation of Russian theatre into the avant-garde. The new genre of theatrical productions saw artists, musicians and performers all working together and it also enabled exciting new designs such as the futuristic ensembles which were created by Alexander Rodchenko for The Bedbug (1929), a satirical play by Vladimir Mayakovsky.

www.vam.ac.uk

 

‘A Game in Hell’: The First World War in Russia, GRAD: Gallery for Russian Arts and Design, 3-4a Little Portland Street, London W1, until 30th November 2014

Vladimir Malevich, Modern Lubok Postcard, 1914-1917. Courtesy Anthony d'Offay and GRAD

Vladimir Malevich,
Modern Lubok Postcard, 1914-1917.
Courtesy Anthony d’Offay and GRAD

This exhibition looks at the significance, both artistically and historically, of the First World War, the 1917 Revolution and the ensuing Civil War. Using contemporaneous materials, many being shown for the first time, it shows personal, public and artistic response, including work by Vladimir Mayakovsky and Kazimir Malevich, whose work and influence you will encounter elsewhere in these exhibitions.

As one might expect the show also encompasses the birth of the Russia’s avant-garde which was influenced by popular prints and children’s’ drawings. It is an important exhibition as many of the items, drawn from the superb collection of Sergei Shestakov, are remarkable survivals given the nature of their materials.

www.grad-london.com

 

LEONID BORISOV – LESSONS IN GEOMETRY, Gallery Elena Shchukina, 10 Lees Place, Mayfair, London W1, until 16th January 2015

Leonid Borisov, Heaven and Earth, 1978, oil on canvas, metal, 64 x 110cm

Leonid Borisov,
Heaven and Earth, 1978,
oil on canvas, metal,
64 x 110cm

Leonid Borisov (1943-2013) is an artist whose works combined the influences of the Moscow art scene and those of the American abstract art while remaining rooted within the Russian avant-garde traditions. His geometric works place him as part of Soviet Nonconformist Art (1953–1986). It is the first exhibition of his works in the UK.

 

http://www.galleryelenashchukina.com

 

PRIMROSE: Early Colour Photography in Russia

PRIMROSE: Early Colour Photography in Russia, The Photographers’ Gallery, 16-18 Ramillies Street, London W1, until 19th October 2014

 

P.T. Ivanov First year of the military service, Saint Petersburg, 1911 Collection of the Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow/ Moscow House of Photography Museum © Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow/ Moscow House of Photography Museum

P.T. Ivanov
First year of the military service, Saint Petersburg, 1911
Collection of the Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow/
Moscow House of Photography Museum
© Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow/ Moscow House of
Photography Museum

This exhibition takes us on a journey from the Russia of the 1860s to that of the 1980s and it looks at the experiments with and development of colour photography in both the pre- and post-revolutionary periods. Like me you may wonder why the word primrose is used; it is easily explained as it literally means ‘first colour’ in Russian.

Dmitri Baltermants Stalin’s funeral, Moscow, 1953 Collection of the Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow/ Moscow House of Photography Museum © Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow/ Moscow House of Photography

Dmitri Baltermants
Stalin’s funeral, Moscow, 1953
Collection of the Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow/
Moscow House of Photography Museum
© Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow/ Moscow House of
Photography

Divided into five sections chronologically it takes us from the 1860s when prints were hand-tinted with oil paints and watercolours, through progression and repression to a time when everyday reality was starting to become more apparent, although works could not always be shown publicly. Interestingly enough hand-tinted portraits also started to re-appear.

Varvara Stepanova Photomontage 'Beready!' 1932 Using photographs by A. Rodchenko Courtesy of a Private Collection

Varvara Stepanova
Photomontage ‘Beready!’ 1932
Using photographs by A. Rodchenko
Courtesy of a Private Collection

It provides a rewarding glimpse into the social and political life of Russia.

Anonymous Sochi. Arboretum, 1957 Collection of the Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow/ Moscow House of Photography Museum © Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow/ Moscow House of Photography Museum

Anonymous
Sochi. Arboretum, 1957
Collection of the Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow/ Moscow House of Photography Museum
© Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow/ Moscow House of Photography Museum

 

http://www.thephotographersgallery.org.uk

Boris Mikhailov From the ‘Luriki’ series. 1971-1985 Collection of the Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow/ Moscow House of Photography Museum ©Boris Mikhailov © Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow/ Moscow House of Photography Museum

Boris Mikhailov
From the ‘Luriki’ series. 1971-1985
Collection of the Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow/
Moscow House of Photography Museum
©Boris Mikhailov
© Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow/ Moscow House of
Photography Museum