1903-1923, Moscow — St.-Петербург (Petrograd)

Members-учредители: H. M. Aladzhalov, A. Arkhipov, A. M. Vasnetsov, S. A. Vinogradov, M. A. Vrubel, A. S. Golubkina, . V. Dosekin, S. V. Ivanov, . A. Klodt von Klodt von, S. Korovin, M. A. Mamontov, M. V. Nesterov, I. S. Ostroukhov, L. O. Pasternak, K. K. Pervukhin, V. V. Perepletchikov, A. S. Stepanov, Pavel Shcherbov.

full members: L. S. Bakst, V. N. Baksheev, A. N. Benoit, G. M. Bobrowski, K. F. Bogaevsky, V. E. Borisov-Мусатов, O. E. Braz, I. I. Brodsky, V. P. Bychkov, V. M. Vasnetsov, A. Golovin, I. Grabar, M. A. Durnov, S. P. Diaghilev, S. Y. Zhukovsky, . S. Zaitsev, K. A. Korovin, . P. Krymov, B. M. Kustodiev, E. E. Lansere, S. V. Malyutin, F. A. Malyavin, . V. Meshcherin, . D. Milioti, M. V. Nesterov, S. G. Nikiforov, A. P. Ostroumova-Лебедева, . F. Petrov, K. S. Petrov-Водкин, P. I. Petrovichev, M. S. Perin, . Roerich, F. E. Rosic, A. A. Rylov, A. Savinov, . N. Sapunov, M. S. Saryan, V. A. Serov, K. A. Somov, A. V. Sredine, D. S. Stelletsky, S. Y. Sudeikin, S. N. Sudbinin, V. I. Surikov, . A. Tarkhov, P. P. Trubetskoy, L. V. Turzhansky, . P. Ulyanov, J. F. Tsionglinsky, K. F. Yuon, M. N. Yakovlev and others.

Exponent: N. A. Andreev, B. I. Anisfeld, M. P. Bobyshov, V. A. Vatagin, A. F. GAUS, A. S. Glagoleva, E. V. Goldinger, O. L. Della-Вос-Кардовская, M. A. Dobrov, V. N. Domogatskii, F. I. Zakharov, A. E. Ivanov, A. V. Isupov, . K. Kalmakov, E. A. Kiselev, A. I. Kravchenko, P. V. Kuznetsov, . N. The Kupreyanov, M. V. LeBlanc, A. T. Matveev, I. I. Mashkov, A. A. Murashko, Y. I. Repin, A. P. Ryabushkin, Z. E. Serebryakova, E. L. Feinberg, V. Khvostenko, M. F. Shemyakin and others.

Exhibitions: 1-я (1903/1904, Moscow) — 17-я (1922, Moscow); the Spring (1923, Moscow).

Emerged in February 1903 with the merger of exhibition groups "36 artists" and "World of art"@the semicolon, many members participated in exhibitions TPHV and the Moscow Association of artists. The constituent Assembly was held on 16 December 1903. 25 Oct 1905 Charter was approved (in its development took an active part M. A. Vrubel), according to which the Union has set goals "to promote Russian art and to provide members sell their art works." In the Charter enshrine the right of its full members to exhibit works without a jury, providing them complete freedom of expression. It has been reserved to the artist 10 years, after which it was necessary to confirm the new ballot (this item of the Charter was repealed in 1911).

Main activity was the organization of exhibitions in Moscow and St. Petersburg. 1-я took place in December 1903 — January 1904 in the halls of the Stroganov school in Moscow, 2-я opened on 31 December 1904 in the halls of IAH in St. Petersburg in February — March 1905 she exhibited in Moscow. 3-я exhibition took place in April 1906 in Moscow, 4-я — in Dec 1906 — January 1907 in St Petersburg. In the future, up to the 1917 exhibition of the CPX was opened on Christmas week in Moscow, and in February — Marchbeen shown in St. Petersburg (Petrograd). 7-я exhibition (1910) has also been shown in Kiev, and 11-я (1914) — in Kaluga. In addition, the work of the Union members were exhibited in Odessa, Kharkov (both — 1909), Katerynoslav, Vyatka (both — 1910), Vologda (1914), international exhibitions in düsseldorf (1904), Paris (1906), Munich (1909), Rome (1911). Along with the collective exhibitions of the CPX held a number of solo exhibitions — S. Korovin (1908-1909), S. V. Ivanov (1911), A. P. Ryabushkin (1912) and others. The exhibition was accompanied by the publication of a catalogue.

the First exhibition invariably became "highlight" of the exhibition season due to the wide and varied creativity of the best of Moscow and St. Petersburg artists. The exhibitions were first presented to the public such works as "To the monastery. Trinity" K. F. Yuon, "the September snow" Grabar (1-я exhibition 1903/1904), "Ghosts" V. E. Borisov-Мусатова (2-я exhibition, 1904/1905), Family S. V. Ivanov (4-я exhibition 1906/1907), "Portrait of G. L. Hirschmann" V. A. Serova, "Manor house in autumn" S. A. Vinogradov (5-я exhibition, 1907/1908), "Paris by night. Italian Boulevard" K. A. Korovin, "a Windy day", "New Inn" N. P. Krymov (6-я exhibition, 1908/1909), "Whirlwind" F. A. Malyavin (9-я exhibition, 1911/1912), "Visit of the Princess convent" V. I. Surikov (10-я exhibition, 1912/1913), "Messengers. Early in the morning" A. M. Vasnetsov (11-я exhibition, 1913/1914) "Guests" A. Arkhipov (12-я exhibition, 1914/1915), "the Girl porcelain" Golovin (14-я exhibition 1916/1917), "March sun" K. F. Yuon (15-я exhibition of 1915/1916) and others.

the Exhibition has always been in the lead for number of visitors and revenue from sold products. So, 11@CPX ndashя exhibition in Moscow and Petrograd (1913/1914) has collected more than 25 thousand spectators, and the income from the sale of works exceeded 70 thousand rubles. 16@CPX ndashю exhibition in Moscow (1916/1917) was visited by about 15 thousand spectators, and the proceeds amounted to 89 thousand rubles.

a Common feature of exhibitions was the approval of Russian national identity in the landscape, historical story and plot. However, already the first exhibitions demonstrated the isolation of Moscow and St. Petersburg groups, the presence of a deep aesthetic differences, both in subject and style works. So, in the work of the majority of Moscow painters (H. M. Aladzhalov, S. A. Vinogradov, . V. Dosekin, S. Y. Zhukovsky, K. A. Korovin, P. I. Petrovichev, A. S. Stepanov, L. V. Turzhansky, K. F. Yuon) was dominated by lyrical landscape based on the techniques of impressionism. Their art was based mainly on contrasting combinations, the juxtaposition of complementary colors, wide pasty smear. St. Petersburg (L. S. Bakst, A. N. Benoit, E. E. Lansere, A. P. Ostroumova-Лебедева) took a Central place in easel and book graphics; distinctive feature of the St. Petersburg style was to emphasis the decorative element, the variety of ornamental motifs. In addition, St. Petersburg contributed to the exhibition of the Union of universalism inherent in the exhibitions "World of art": in addition to easel paintings and graphics, they exhibited small plastics, sketches of theatrical decorations, decorative panels and items of appliedart.

an Art critic S. K. Makovsky wrote in the magazine "Pantheon" (1909): "after the exhibitions "World of art", who played at the turn of the twentieth century such a large role in the history of Russian painting, advanced Russian artists United under the banner of "Union of Russian artists". Unfortunately only among the best, next to large, real talent and young seekers of new ways, was the master, already a survivor of his glory, a tired, aging celebrities... of the Exhibition “Union”, being undoubtedly the best and only serious exhibitions as-то fatally “failed”... under such conditions, “the Union” could not acquire the values of the uniting center and the less — steering ABC. The schism began in the environment of the initiators. Not today, tomorrow the whole thing could fall apart, and that's too bad."

the division of society, due to the difference of creative direction, there has been in the preparation of 6-й exhibition (1908). After Muscovites have Zabolotnoho most of the exhibitors proposed by St. Petersburg, the last on the initiative A. N. Benoit issued an ultimatum demanding an independent business. 6-я (1908/1909) and 7-я (1909/1910) exhibitions in Moscow and St. Petersburg were formed two independent committees, and differed significantly in composition. The final split of the CPX took place shortly after the closure of 7-й exhibition in connection with a series of "Art of letters" A. N. Benoit, devoted to the Union and published in the newspaper "Rech" (1910, 26 February, 5, 13 and 26 March), in which he sharply negatively described the work of the prominent Moscow artists. Subsequent negotiations between Moscow and St. Petersburg groups led to conflict, in which seventeen of Petersburgers headed A. N. Benoit out of the CPX and the fall of the same year announced the re-establishment of the "World of art".

in 1910 the Union was primarily a Union of Moscow artists, single-minded on art. The society has included new members that had participated in the CPX exhibitions as exhibitors (I. I. Brodsky, . P. Krymov, P. I. Petrovichev, A. V. sredine, L. V. Turzhansky and others), and were brought a number of new exhibitors. The crisis was overcome. However, since the second half of 1910-х the popularity of the exhibitions began to fall, which was due to the loss of relevance of objectives of Association, and increased competition with other artistic groups. However, despite this, the Union maintained a reputation as one of the most influential creative teams.

After the February revolution of 1917, members of the CPX has actively participated in public life. In March 1917, his representatives (seeA. M. Vasnetsov, K. A. Korovin, M. N. Yakovlev) were included in the Council of artists of Moscow; in April on the initiative K. A. Korovin, L. O. Pasternak, P. I. Petrovicheva, . P. Ulyanov, M. N. Yakovlev has been created by Professional artists Union-живописцев Moscow; in may of the CPX, together with the other art societies were formed in trade Union — consent of the artists of "Izograf". Members of the CPX participated in the work of the Commission for the protection of the Kremlin palaces, the art-просветительной Commission at the Moscow Council of workers ' deputies, the Moscow Council on the arts and otherpublic organizations.

In 1919-1921 exhibition CPX was conducted. The last (16@and 17 ndashя-я) exhibition was held in January and December 1922 in Moscow. In addition, in may — June 1923 was held "Spring exhibition CPX". The last meeting of members was held on 12 January 1924.