The Russian Academy Of Arts

Dates: March 1 – May 12, 2024

Venue: The Modern Art Gallery of the State Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Tatarstan  (57 Karl Marx street, Kazan, Tatarstan) 

The State Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Tatarstan presents an exhibition of the People’s Artist of the USSR and Russia, President of the Russian Academy of Arts Zurab K. Tsereteli dedicated to the artist’s 90^th jubilee. Entitled “The Genius of Our Time” the exhibition showcases more than 120 works of the renowned master including 70 canvases, graphic works of “The Sheets fr om the Album” series and three sculptural compositions.

In the art of Zurab Tsereteli it is important to emphasize his general striving for images of the pristine nature, proto –man, the beauty without any pathos, shine  and gloss, for the beginning that symbolizes the truth. The history of the world is as significant for the universe as the history of a little man and his aspirations.   Tsereteli’s creativity is distinguished by the visual and energetic environment peculiar to the so-called “magical realism”.  The main compositional and meaning-forming element in his canvases is color. The basis of his method is practicing the techniques for combing different types of art. The painting for him is not simply a creativity in the usual sense of the word, but a way of existence, the inner content of his life.  He has been constantly experimenting and trying himself in different styles, however all of them inevitably dissolve under the impact of the artist’s powerful personality.  Zurab Tsereteli is eager to share with the viewers his optimistic view of life, bright temperament, desire to express his worldview in color. In recent years, graphics has become one of his favorite types of creativity. In this technique he almost sculpts his images like a sculpture. Like his painting the graphic art of Zutab Tsereteli presents the whole world with its own characters, special space and consistent patterns.

Zurab Tsereteli was born on January 4^th, 1934 in the capital of Georgia. He graduated from the Tbilisi Academy of Arts and started his creative career at the Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography of Georgia. In 1964 he visited France wh ere he got acquainted with artworks of  the eminent artists Pablo Picasso and Marc Chagall. Since the late 1960s Tsereteli  has been actively involved in the monumental art. In various periods he headed a lot of major art projects: in the 1970s-1980s  - the Chief Artist of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs; in 1980 – the Chief Artist of the Olympic Games in Moscow; in 1995 – the Art Supervisor of the Memorial Complex in Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow;  since 1995  - the Chief Artist of the Project for the Rebirth of the Artistic Decoration of  the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow; since 2014 – the Supervisor of the Project for the Beautification of the  Cathedral of St. Sava in Belgrade (Serbia). In 1995 Zurab Tsereteli initiated the establishment of the first in Russia Museum of Modern Art  which core was his private collection donated to the Museum.  In 2000 he set up the Museum and Exhibition Complex of the Russian Academy of Arts in Prechistenka street in Moscow and in 2012 – the Museum of Modern Art in Tbilisi.  Since 1997 Zurab Tsereteli has been the President of the Russian Academy of Arts. Under his leadership the Academy has been substantially  reformed and now it unites artists of various trends and directions, heads of major Russian museums,  outstanding  international figures of culture, as well as eminent  Russian figures of fine arts, theater, cinema and musical art. His personal and professional achievements have been highly appreciated by many honors and awards including the Hero of Socialist Labor; People’s Artist of the USSR and Russia; Winner of the Lenin Prize and the USSR State Prizes; Laureate of the State Prize of Russia; Full Chevalier of the Order “For Services to the Motherland”, Chevalier of the Order of the Legion of Honor (France), UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and many others.  

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