April 23, in the case of Benoit Russian Museum opened an exhibition «Collection of Princess M. Tenisheva», organized by the 110 th anniversary of the Russian Museum

April 23, in the case of Benoit Russian Museum opened an exhibition «Collection of Princess M. Tenisheva», organized by the 110 th anniversary of the Russian Museum. The exhibition includes 100 objects from museum collections owned by Russian-known patron of the arts Mary Klavdievny Tenisheva.

The base of the first in the history of Russian culture public museum of Russian art is connected with the name of Princess Mary Tenisheva. In 1898, at the opening of the Russian Museum of Emperor Alexander III, she had collected as a gift to her collection of watercolors and drawings by Russian artists. The collection numbered 470 items and includes works by the greatest masters of the XIX century Karl Brullov, Alexei Venetsianov, Pavel Fedotov, Ivan Aivazovsky, Ilya Repin, Ivan Shishkin, Ivan Kramskoy, Isaac Levitan, Viktor Vasnetsov, Mikhail Nesterov and others. Numerous samples were submitted to the remarkable works of Russian painter Alexander Orlovsky and Alexei Egorov, as well as a series of «Saint-Petersburg types» Ignaty Schedrovskogo referred to Tenisheva from its closest friend and soratnitsy Princess Catherine Svyatopolk-Chetvertinskoy. A great place to hold a collection of work created by participants of «Society of Russian watercolourist». Each year, Mary Klavdievna bought in the exhibitions of this society the best exhibits, including landscapes by Albert Benoit, Richard Berggoltsa, Victor Bobrov, and others.

Participation in the artistic life in St. Petersburg, interest in the «Society of Russian watercolourist», acquaintance with Alexander Benois contributed to the Tenisheva was at the beginnings of a society «world of art». Through its financial support of the famous magazine began publication «world of art».

One of the important areas of Tenisheva was to create a collection of watercolors and drawings by Russian and European artists. She saw my task was to present the history of this art form as fully as possible and then send their treasures to the state repository. As an assistant and consultant, she invited by Alexander Benois. When it became aware of a Russian museum, she brought him a gift of his collection, which by virtue of its specificity, the museum has only the Russian part.

Later Tenisheva even thrice, in 1902, 1903, 1910 years, gave works of art Russian Museum of Emperor Alexander III. In total, these 110 items. Among them - pastel Isaac Levitan and Valentin Serov, gouache and tempera Nicholas Roerich, a watercolor by Mikhail Vrubel, Alexander Benois, Lev Bakst, Sergei Malyutina and Ivan Bilibin. Since the foundation of the museum until the 1917 revolution, its collection has been exhibited in two rooms of the ground floor of the Mikhailovsky Palace.

Source: artnow.ru