Exhibition "Classics and Modernity" in London

The Representation of Rossotrudnichestvo in London from July 6 to July 31, 2015 hosted the exhibition "CLASSICS and MODERNITY", which presented paintings by artists Rinat Kuramshin and Albina Kuramshina.

Opening of the exhibition

The exhibition was dedicated to the 175th anniversary of the birth of the Russian composer P.I. Tchaikovsky and is dedicated to the Year of Literature in Russia. The exhibition was organized by Rossotrudnichestvo, the Association of British Tatars, the Volga branch of the Russian Academy of Arts, the Ethnographic Art department of the Creative Union of Russian Artists, and the Interethnic Cultural Museum and Exhibition Center of the Moscow Region. The exhibition "CLASSICS and MODERNITY" was also shown at the Sabantuy 2015 in London, organized by the Association of Tatars of Great Britain. The exhibition was visited by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland A.V. Yakovenko, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan, Plenipotentiary Representative of the Republic of Tatarstan in the Russian Federation R.K.Akhmetshin, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to the UK O. Akbarov, Ambassador Tajikistan in the UK E.Kasymov, employees of the Embassies of the CIS countries, members of the Coordinating Council of Russian compatriots in the UK, representatives of municipal assemblies of the Lond districts on journalists, cultural figures, Russian compatriots and the British public.

Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Great Britain A. Yakovenko

R. Minullin and Ambassador of Uzbekistan to the UK O. Akbarov

R. Minullin E. Kasymov Ambassador of Tajikistan to the UK R. Akhmetshin Plenipotentiary of Tatarstan to the Russian Federation

At the grand opening of the exhibition, the head of the Representative Office of Rossotrudnichestvo in London A.A. Chesnokov, the chairman of the Association of Tatars of Great Britain R.R. Greetings from the Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Plenipotentiary Representative of the Republic of Bashkortostan to the President of the Russian Federation A.A. Shainurov, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tyva, the Plenipotentiary Representative of the Republic of Tyva in Moscow A.V. Pak, the President of the Russian Federation were read out. Academy of Arts ZK Tsereteli and President of the Creative Union of Artists of Russia K.V. Khudyakov. It was especially valuable to hear the words of greeting from Udmurtia - the birthplace of P.I. Tchaikovsky. In a letter from the Permanent Representative of the Head of the Udmurt Republic, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Udmurt Republic S.K.Smirnova, it was said that the anniversary of P.I. Tchaikovsky is widely celebrated around the world, this date is a major international, national, cultural and spiritual event. It was noted that the paintings of the artists Rinat Kuramshin and Albina Kuramshina presented at the exhibition reveal and emphasize the great achievements of Russian culture. Portraits of prominent figures of Russian culture and a series of pastel works on the ballet by P. Tchaikovsky “Swan Lake”, “The Nutcracker”, “Sleeping Beauty” performed by Rinat Kuramshin and Albina Kuramshina again remind us of the significant contribution that Russia made to the world culture. The exhibition was visited by a well-known art lover, philanthropist, public figure, Prince ND Lobanov-Rostovsky, who noted the high artistic level of the exhibition and "was pleasantly surprised by the quality and variety of painting." During the exhibition, their comments and good wishes were expressed by the soloist of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden Sofya Fomina, Prime Minister of the Royal Ballet Covent Garden Vadim Muntagirov, ballet dancer of the National Ballet of Great Britain Natalia Kremen, People’s Artist of Russia choreographer Alexander Muntagirov.

Prince N.D. Lobanov-Rostovsky

N.D. Lobanov-Rostovsky at the opening of the exhibition

One of the central places in the exposition was reserved for the portrait of P.I. Tchaikovsky. Pyotr Ilyich repeatedly visited the UK with concerts of his works. His last visit in 1893 was related to the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Cambridge University Musical Society, where he was awarded the honorary doctorate of music “honoris causa”. The exhibition featured portraits of world-famous ballet stars Anna Pavlova and Maya Plisetskaya, who also left a bright mark in the ballet art of Great Britain. Outstanding ballerinas are depicted in their most characteristic images: Anna Pavlova in the image of a swan and Maya Plisetskaya in the image of Carmen. The performance of these parts allowed the famous ballerinas to express the fullness and drama of the image through the plastic of the choreography; these roles have become original hallmarks of the ballerinas. By her own admission, Maya Plisetskaya, she always wanted to dance the role of Carmen. The portrait of Rudolf Nureyev presented here reminds us of the time of his brilliant career in London’s Covent Garden and his performances in the Paris Grant Opera. The creativity of this outstanding dancer, of course, also enriched the world of choreographic art.

A significant part of the paintings of the exhibition "Classics and Modernity" is dedicated to the Year of Literature in Russia. R. Kuramshin created a gallery of portraits of prominent Russian and Soviet cultural figures: A. Pushkin, M. Lermontov, L. Tolstoy, I. Turgenev, F. Dostoevsky, V. Dal, A. Chekhov, M. Gorky, F. Chaliapin, S Yesenin, A. Akhmatova, M. Tsvetaeva, A. Blok, B. Pasternak, V. Shukshin, G. Tukai, M. Jalil, M. Gafuri, Y. Uksay, K. Gerd, O. Epay, N. Roerich, M. Magomaev and many others. In addition to portraits, the exhibition presents early graphic works by Rinat Kuramshin made using the engraving technique. These are illustrations for the fables of various authors, a large number of which are devoted to the works of the great Russian fabulist I. Krylov.

The exhibition “CLASSICS and MODERNITY” was warmly received by our compatriots in the United Kingdom and the British public. Expressing gratitude to the artists Rinat and Albina Kuramshin, the head of the Representative Office of Rossotrudnichestvo in London A.A. Chesnokov noted that this exhibition once again reminds us of the great works of the Russian composer P.I. Tchaikovsky and demonstrates Russia’s contribution to the development of world art by the example of outstanding personalities of Russian art culture. Chairman of the Association of Tatars of Great Britain R.R.Mullullin handed diplomas to artists Rinat Kuramshin, Albina Kuramshina, Natalya Frolova for their assistance in organizing events aimed at popularizing Russian culture and art. He also said that such exhibitions definitely form a favorable business and cultural image of the Russian Federation abroad, contribute to the preservation and popularization of Russia’s cultural heritage.