The .art Founder’s family gifts rare book to The State Tretyakov Gallery
The State Tretyakov Gallery received "The Song of the Wise Oleg" by Alexander Pushkin with drawings by Viktor Vasnetsov, published in 1914, as a gift from the Kasimov family.
The handover ceremony took place this week as part of the ongoing exhibition “Russian Fairy Tale. From Vasnetsov to the Present”.
The book was prepared by order of the Imperial Academy of Sciences on the occasion of Pushkin’s 100th anniversary in 1899, and then reprinted in 1914. Vasnetsov created four drawings, headpieces, an ending, and decorative capital letters especially for it.
Ulvi Kasimov’s children shared that all members of the family collect books – each on their own favourite topics. Inspired by the theme of Russian fairytales and “The Song of the Wise Oleg” in particular, Kasimov’s daughters, both aspiring artists, have created a series of artworks.
“Russian Fairy Tale. From Vasnetsov to the Present” is an immersive experiment, a journey through a fairy-tale world where everyone can choose their own route. The exhibition space brings together a variety of genres that meet each other. These are paintings, drawings, sculptures, and stenographic theatrical objects. A viewer turns into a protagonist, a fairytale hero or villain. The exhibition showcases artwork by Bilibin, Vasnetsov, Vrubel, Goncharova, Mamyshev-Monroe and many others.
