BRAILOVSKY Leonid Mikhailovich

May 23, 1867 (Kharkov) — July 7, 1937 (Rome)

Architect, painter, graphic artist, scene-designer, master of decorative and applied arts

Brailovsky was born to a noble family. In 1886–1894 he studied at the architect department of the Imperial Academy of Arts. During study in the Academy, Brailovsky was repeatedly awarded: in 1890 — small silver medal, in 1892 — large silver medal, in 1893 — small gold medal for the program Hotel for visitors of the capital. In 1890 he finished his study at the course of science. In 1894 Brailovsky was conferred the title of the 1st class artist and got the right for pensioner’s trip abroad.

In 1895–1898 Brailovsky was the pensioner of the Imperial Academy of Arts in Paris and Rome. He studied under Bompiani in Rome and at the Academy of R. Julien in Paris. He took trips to Egypt, Greece, Germany, Austria and Spain.

After return, Brailovsky settled in Moscow. Since 1898 he taught at Moscow School of painting, sculpture and architecture (MUZhVZ) and the Central Stroganov School of Technical Drawing (since 1906 — the Central Stroganov College of Art and Practical trainings). He was a professor, since 1900 — member of the educational committee of the Stroganov School.

Brailovsky worked as an architect; however he attained fame for his architectural sketches. He created watercolors with views of ancient ruins, monuments, with interiors of temples and palaces, architectural fantasies. In his work Brailovsky was close to the masters of Neo-Russian direction. In 1900s he studied and copied frescoes in churches of Yaroslavl, Rostov and Novgorod. He participated in exhibitions of the Society of Russian Watercolorists, Moscow Association of Artists, and the New Society of Artists. Brailovsky was a member of Moscow Archaeological Society and the Society of Architects and Artists.

Brailovsky designed private villa in Tuapse (early 1900s), theatre in Ekaterinoslavl (together with I. V. Zholtovsky), new building of Moscow School of painting, sculpture and architecture (MUZhVZ), tombs of Anton Chekhov at the Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow (1907) and composer V. S. Kalinikov in Yalta (1908). Brailovsky was engaged in interior design; he created sketches of furniture and bronze wares. He was a member of the Editorial Board of the Yearbook of Moscow Architecture Society (MAO).

Since 1909 Brailovsky worked as a theatre artist. He designed productions of the Maly Theatre (Woe from Wit by A. S. Griboedov, 1911; The Glass of Water by A. E. Scribe, 1911; The Duchess of Padua by O. Wilde, 1912; The Merchant of Venice by W. Shakespeare, 1916) and the Bolshoi Theatre (Don Giovanni by Mozart, 1916) in Moscow.

In 1918 Brailovsky together with his wife R. N. Brailovskaya, emigrated; they lived in Constantinople, Belgrade, since 1925 — in Rome. He worked as a scene-designer of the Royal Theatre in Belgrade. Brailovsky was a member of the Union of Russian Art Workers in Belgrade. In 1933 he founded the Museum of Russian Religious Architecture under the Congregation for the Oriental Churches in Vatican.

During emigration Brailovsky continued to work in the field of easel painting and graphic art. In 1920s–1930s he together with his wife created a series of paintings Visions of Old Russia. Brailovsky exposed his drawings and watercolors with architectural sketches in many European cities: Rome, Paris, Milan, London, Amsterdam, The Hague, Munich, Budapest and New York. The personal exhibitions of the artist (together with his wife) were held in Paris (1930) and Vatican (1932).

Works by Leonid Brailovsky are in many museum collections, including the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum, the State Central Theatre Museum named after A. A. Bakhrushin, the Museum of the Sorbonne in Paris, the Vatican Museums, the Museum of Russian Religious Architecture under the Congregation for the Oriental Churches in Vatican and others.