Beatrice Sandomierska. 1894–1974

The A.S. Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts opens the exhibition "Beatrice Sandomierska. 1894–1974" — the first exhibition in 60 years dedicated to the work of this outstanding sculptor. The exhibition will bring together works from museum collections in Russia and Armenia and place Sandomierska’s legacy within the context of world art.

Sandomirskaia’s figurative language was shaped by the influence of the Russian school of sculpture. However, she considered her mentors not only Sergei Volnukhin and Sergei Konenkov, but also Kazimir Malevich. Sandomirskaia’s monument to Robespierre became one of the most discussed monuments in the early years of Soviet power. Beatrice Yuryevna organized the State Free Art Workshops (SFAW) in Orenburg and Turkestan and participated in the activities of the Society of Russian Sculptors (ORS).

The distinctiveness of Sandomirskaia’s work is largely due to her deep immersion in global artistic processes. She studied the Russian plastic tradition and was fascinated by Cubism, primitivism, and African sculpture — but her own work can confidently be called a distinct plastic version of modernism.

Alla Esipovich-Roginskaya, collector of Soviet sculpture of the first third of the 20th century and curator of the exhibition:

This exhibition is a revelation of a leading artist whose work was forgotten for more than half a century. An entire generation of viewers has grown up without seeing her work in such a comprehensive manner. The project will demonstrate that Beatrice Sandomierska’s legacy stands alongside the world’s greatest avant-garde masterpieces.

Sculptor Beatrice Sandomierska loved working with wood above all else. She thoroughly explored its potential and wasn’t afraid to experiment with this material. Reflecting on the "architectonic and monumental qualities of wood," she dreamed of using it in "the exterior and interior design of buildings," a new "strong, monumental, bold, and profoundly ideological style."

The exhibition aims not only to reveal the scale and diversity of Sandomirska’s legacy, but also, through the means of exhibition dramaturgy and strict, precise architecture, to express the master’s fundamental artistic thinking and worldview. The exhibition is structured around several archetypal motifs that emerged in Sandomirska’s work throughout her life.

Sergey Tchoban, architect and author of the exhibition design:

"When designing the exhibition space, which for the first time presents Beatrice Sandomierska’s work so comprehensively, we opted for a minimalist design that wouldn’t distract from the sculptures themselves — they vary greatly in both size and form. The layout of each hall is based on a simple geometric shape: a rectangle, a circle, an oval, or a semi-oval. The expressiveness of these forms is further enhanced by the contrast of light or highlighted walls and a dark ceiling. The plinths are solid volumes, designed as a visual extension of the sculptures."

The halls feature the cubist "Compositional Portrait" (1921; Russian Museum), the expressive composition "Head in Iron" (1924; Tula Museum of Fine Arts), the monumental sculpture "Oktyabrenok" (1924; Tretyakov Gallery), the life-size sculpture "Motherhood. Black Soil" (1929; Russian Museum), which Sandomirskaya considered her greatest achievement, as well as other works from the 1920s to the 1960s. A special space is devoted to drawings from various years.

Alongside Sandomirskaia’s works, works from the collection of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts are on display, clearly demonstrating the exhibition’s heroine’s connection to the art of other nations and eras. These include paintings by European modernist artists and sculpture from African countries.

While Sandomirskaia’s legacy remains less well-known to the general public than that of other Russian avant-garde artists, the originality of her artistic language allows her works to be considered on par with the greatest phenomena of 20th-century art.

The museum plans to publish a publication dedicated to the work of Beatrice Sandomirskaya. It will include texts by exhibition curator Alla Esipovich-Roginskaya, as well as articles by art historians Alla Vershinina (State Institute of Art Studies) and Igor Smekalov (State Tretyakov Gallery). The publication will also feature texts by Beatrice Sandomirskaya herself (excerpts from transcripts of her speeches, excerpts from articles, and letters — these will provide insight into the principles of her work as she understood and formulated them) and a comprehensive chronicle of the sculptor’s life and work.

The exhibition "Beatrice of Sandomir. 1894-1974" will continue an important area of work at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts related to the analysis of the legacy of Russian artists (Vasily Chekrygin, Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, Pyotr Konchalovsky, Eduard Steinberg, Vladimir Veisberg) in a global context. Participants: the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, the P.M. Dogadin Astrakhan State Art Gallery, the Bryansk Regional Art Museum and Exhibition Center, the Vologda Regional Art Gallery, the Historical Museum, the Russian Museum, the State Tretyakov Gallery, the V.P. Sukachev Irkutsk Regional Art Museum, the Kaluga Museum of Fine Arts, the S.D. Erzya, the Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Karelia, the Perm State Art Gallery, the Samara Regional Art Museum, the State Cultural Institution of the Tyumen Region "Tula Museum Association" (branch - Tula Museum of Fine Arts), the State Museum Association "Artistic Culture of the Russian North" (Arkhangelsk), the Yaroslavl Art Museum, the National Gallery of Armenia and private collectors.