Masterpieces of Tretyakov in Almaty

The exhibition is called “The Heritage of the Epoch”. Art of the XX century from the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery introduces the Kazakh public to works from the collection of one of the largest art museums in Russia. This project opens up new opportunities for cultural dialogue between the two countries.

Implementing large-scale exhibition, cultural and educational projects, the Tretyakov Gallery and leading museum institutions of Kazakhstan consistently strengthen the space of common cultural attraction, in which art acts as a universal language of historical memory and national identity.

- It is important for us that museum collections become not only custodians of cultural heritage, but also a space of professional and cultural interaction that strengthens ties between Kazakhstan and Russia, notes Gulaim Zhumabekova, Director of the Kasteev National Research Institute.

The general sponsors of the exhibition were RosAtom State Corporation and Samruk-Kazyna Kazakhstan National Welfare Fund.

Combining the works of outstanding masters of Russian painting, the exhibition reveals a grandiose panorama of artistic searches, spiritual revelations and aesthetic transformations of the era, which has become one of the most saturated and controversial chapters in the history of world art. The event goes far beyond the exhibition project. It becomes a meeting of cultures, epochs and artistic worlds, an opportunity to touch the invaluable heritage of Russian painting and to better understand its decisive role in shaping the artistic landscape of the XX century. Presenting the works that make up the golden fund of Russia to the public of Kazakhstan, the Tretyakov Gallery affirms the enduring power of art, unites generations and peoples, overcomes geographical boundaries and creates a space of true spiritual unity. The exhibition includes 30 famous works illustrating the historical period from 1917 to the 70s of the last century. During this period, important changes took place in artistic culture, closely related not only to world history, but also to the common history of Russia and Kazakhstan. Large-scale social shifts, industrialization, the Great Patriotic War, the development of virgin lands, scientific and technological development – all these milestones were experienced by our peoples as part of a single historical path and found a response in art, notes Olga Galaktionova, General Director of the State Tretyakov Gallery.

Legendary names were brought to Kazakhstan. These are Boris Kustodiev, Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, Alexander Deineka, Konstantin Vyalov, Pyotr Williams, Pyotr Konchalovsky, Ilya Mashkov, Vasily Rozhdestvensky, Evsey Moiseenko, Pyotr Ossovsky, Viktor Popkov, Vladimir Stozharov, Dmitry Zhilinsky.

Probably, in order for each canvas to sound like an independent main part, a special geometric space was created in the Kasteev Museum, in which the works do not compete with each other, and each gets the opportunity to be heard and seen. This impression is facilitated by a single background of rich turquoise color, which emphasizes the expressiveness of works and creates a special atmosphere of perception of art.

A special melody was played on it by the world-famous work of Arkady Rylov “In the Blue Space”. The picture is devoted to the eternal themes of freedom, limitless space and amazing harmony of man with nature. In the center of the composition is a flock of snow-white swans, majestically hovering over the cold waters of the northern sea. The canvas is filled with fresh sea air, light and poetry of northern nature.

Arkady Rylov wrote this work of art in 1918, during a difficult and starving time of the Civil War, when life was filled with anxiety and uncertainty. In a world gripped by upheavals, he appealed to the eternal beauty of nature - the free flight of birds, the endless sea and the clear sky, reminding that beauty and harmony can support the human soul even in the most difficult times. Always! And today, too.

There is another bright, warm impression of the exhibition associated with the name of Tatiana Yablonskaya. The famous artist invites the viewer to her juicy, sun-filled Summer. And in this canvas there is a special note: about the same summer environment, among the same colors and light, the artist’s daughter Elena Beisembinova still lives in Almaty in her garden and house.

Within the framework of one exposition, the viewer gets the opportunity to touch a wide palette of historical events, facts and human experiences, immersed in the living atmosphere of a bygone era from the revolutionary upheavals and heroic pages of the Great Patriotic War to the grandiose all-Union construction projects, mastering virgin land and that unique romance of the time, when it seemed that man was subject to everything.

Let this exhibition from Tretyakov become a symbol of the unity of our countries and peoples, uniting us with a common historical memory, spiritual heritage and greatness of achievements that will forever remain part of a single great and important history.