Contemporary Russian Art
dal 9/2/2009 al 27/6/2009
Segnalato da
9/2/2009
Contemporary Russian Art
Zimmerli Art Museum, New Brunswick
Selections from the Claude and Nina Gruen Collection. It comprising approximately 160 works by leading Russian contemporary artists, is an invaluable addition to the Zimmerli's holdings of traditional Russian art and the world's largest collection of Soviet nonconformist art. The majority of the items in the Gruen Collection date from the late 1980s to1990s, but it also includes a few works from 1930-1940s inspired by the Russian avant-garde and early nonconformist pieces from the 1950s through 1970s.
This exhibition celebrates the major gift of contemporary Russian art to the Zimmerli Art Museum by California-based collectors Claude and Nina Gruen. The Gruen Collection, comprising approximately 160 works by leading Russian contemporary artists, is an invaluable addition to the Zimmerli’s holdings of traditional Russian art, donated by George Riabov, and the world’s largest collection of Soviet nonconformist art assembled by Norton T. Dodge.
The Gruen holdings reflect art strategies employed by Russian artists from cultural stagnation under Brezhnev to Gorbachev's perestroika,and beyond. The majority of the items in the collection date from the late 1980s to1990s, but it also includes a few works from 1930-1940s inspired by the Russian avant-garde and early nonconformist pieces from the 1950s through 1970s. The core works by the nonconformist artists, produced after the collapse of the Soviet Union, continue to dwell upon Soviet experiences while uniting them with the realities of the new post-Soviet economy. The younger generation of artists that emerged around 2000 often ignores the Soviet episode altogether, wheeling and dealing in the glamour of the new Russian capitalism.
As the fruit of individual reason and desire, intellectual analysis and spontaneous affection, the Gruen Collection relates the story of modern Russian art from a particular viewpoint; there are preferences and avoidances, favorites and omissions, celebrities and unfamiliar names. Nevertheless, there is a consistency in the collection that emphasizes the interchangeability of various concepts within Russian contemporary art. The Gruen contribution extends the Zimmerli’s holdings of Russian art to the present day, displays a broad spectrum of art paradigms, and creates a solid base at the Museum for further research and exploration.
The Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
The Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum collects, preserves, researches, and exhibits works of art to provide the university community with direct experience of the visual arts. The museum's scholarly activities serve diverse campus, regional, national, and international audiences by making art intellectually accessible through exhibitions, publications, and education programs.
The Zimmerli's operations, exhibitions, and programs are funded in part by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation; and the donors, members, and friends of the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum.
Image: Oleg Tselkov, Many-Headed Person with Fork, 1983, oil on canvas. The Claude and Nina Gruen Collection of Contemporary Russian Art.
Panel Discussion and Reception
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Panel: 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Reception: 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
A major collection of contemporary Russian art has been donated to the Zimmerli Art Museum by Claude and Nina Gruen, adding to the museum's world-renowned holdings of Soviet and Russian art. The distinguished panelists will explore new approaches to the collecting, study, and critical evaluation of late-Soviet and contemporary Russian art.
Participants
Dr. Julia Tulovsky, Moderator – Assistant Curator of Russian and Nonconformist Art from the Soviet Union, Zimmerli Art Museum
Dr. Alexander Borovsky – Director of the Department of New Trends at the State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
Dr. John E. Bowlt – Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures and Director of the Institute of Modern Russian Culture, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
Dr. Alla Rosenfeld – Vice-President and Senior Specialist, Russian Paintings, Sotheby's, New York
Nina J. Gruen – Co-founder and Principal Sociologist in charge of market research and analysis, Gruen Gruen + Associates (GG+A), San Francisco
A reception to celebrate the exhibition and catalogue will be held immediately following the panel discussion.
For specifics on The Claude and Nina Gruen Collection of Contemporary Russian Art exhibition or panel discussion, please contact Julia Tulovsky, Assistant Curator of Russian and Nonconformist Art from the Soviet Union, at juliat@rci.rutgers.edu. For a press release or collection images, please contact Stacy Smith, Manager of Publications, at stacys@rci.rutgers.edu.
Transportation
Bus service especially for the February 10 events at the Zimmerli will be available leaving at noon from New York (midtown) and arriving back in New York at 8:00 p.m. The service is free, but space is limited. Please RSVP to gruencollection@zimmerli.rutgers.edu.
Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
71 Hamilton Street New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901-1248
Museum Hours:
Tuesday - Friday: 10:00am-4:30pm
Weekends: Noon-5:00pm
Admission:
$3.00 per person for adults who are not members of the museum. Entrance to the museum is free at all times for members, all children under 18, and Rutgers University students, faculty, and staff with a valid I.D. In addition, the first Sunday of each month will be free to all.
Closed: Mondays; all year, Tuesdays in July. Closed month of August.
Holidays: Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Thursday & Friday, December 25, January 1