"Ilyazd & Picasso. Pages of creativity and life"

State Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin, together with the House-Museum of Pablo Picasso in Malaga (Spain) present the exhibition "Ilyazd & Picasso. Pages of creativity and life ”, dedicated to the joint creativity and long-term friendship of Ilya Mikhailovich Zdanevich (Ilyazda) and Pablo Picasso. The exhibition is supported by the LANIT group of companies.

The exhibition presents all Ilyazd books in the genre of livre d’artiste with printed graphics by Picasso, the first futuristic editions of Ilya Zdanevich of the Tiflis period, as well as numerous exhibits reflecting the friendly relations of two masters of the twentieth century. The basis of the exhibition is the publication of the livre d’artiste from the collections of George Gens and Boris Fridman, as well as documents and artifacts from the Ilyazd archive. Separate works were provided by the A. Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, the V. I. Dahl State Museum of the History of Russian Literature, and the St. Petersburg State Museum of Theater and Music.

In his youthful years in Tiflis, Ilya Zdanevich and his friends, admiring the work of Picasso, called him one of the heroes of the theory of “allness” announced by them. At the end of 1921, Ilya Zdanevich arrived in Paris, which became his home until the end of his days. The following year, he becomes secretary, and subsequently chairman of the Union of Russian Artists in Paris. For several years, under the auspices of this Union, Ilyazd has been organizing famous balls that have attracted the attention of all art Paris. The organizing committee of the first of the balls, Fête nuit à Montparnasse, held on June 30, 1922, along with others included Ilyazd and Picasso. At this time, they meet in person. The name Picasso is found in the programs of three more of the seven balls, in the organization of which Ilyazd took an active part. For the program of the Grand Transmental Ball, developed by Mikhail Larionov, Picasso made a horse drawing, which has been preserved, and is in the collection of the Pushkin Museum in Moscow.

In 1940, Ilyazd published a collection of his Afat sonnets with printed Picasso graphics in the livre d’artiste genre. In the process of working on this particular publication, their creative union is formed, giving art lovers unique editions of livre d’artiste Ilyazda with printed graphics by Picasso. Over the next thirty-three years, six more editions of the livre d’artiste are published, especially for which Picasso creates a series of printed graphics. In two editions of Ilyazd, Picasso takes part together with other artists. Picasso, according to his statement, practically never made illustrations specifically for specific publications, and only for Ilyazd he made an exception. At the same time, Ilyazd did not just order the artist a series of illustrations for his books, but literally dictated what he would like to get from him. This continued throughout their collaboration.

In addition to the creative union, throughout all these years they have been linked by friendly relations. In the late 1940s, Ilyazd settled near Vallauris, where Picasso is engaged in ceramics in order to try his hand at the production of ceramic products. They spend time together, relaxing on the Golfe-Juan beach. Picasso was supposed to be present as a witness at the registration of the marriage of Ilyazd and Helen Duar-Marais in 1968. But that day he was not in the city, and this role was played by Jacqueline Rock, the wife of Picasso. However, the artist makes an ironic etching with the image of the newlyweds specifically to notify of their marriage.

The exhibition presents a lot of different kinds of evidence of friendly and creative relations connecting these two outstanding masters of the twentieth century. The audience will see a number of exhibits for the first time. An extensive catalog has been prepared for the exhibition, including articles and all images of the works of Picasso, created by him for the publications of Ilyazd.

Director of the Pushkin Museum. A.S. Pushkina Marina Loshak:

The Ilyazd & Picasso exhibition is a continuation of a retrospective display of the work of Ilya Zdanevich, which took place three years ago in our museum. Zdanevich, known abroad as Ilyazd, entered the world art as a unique publisher of livre d’artiste with printed graphics of leading artists and sculptors of the twentieth century. A special place among the publications of Ilyazd is occupied by his collaboration with Pablo Picasso. Over the years, they have been linked by personal friendships.

The exhibition project, prepared by us together with private collectors with whom the museum associates many years of cooperation, is designed to demonstrate in its entirety the works created in the creative collaboration of two masters of the twentieth century. Of particular importance to us is the opportunity to show this project in the House-Museum of Pablo Picasso in Malaga, in the house where the largest artist of the last century was born. In 1991, our museum brought graphic works from its collection to Malaga. With particular joy, after almost thirty years we are returning to this landmark for all art lovers.

Exhibition curator, collector Boris Fridman:

For the first time, the Ilyazd & Picasso exhibition presents the joint creativity and personal relations of such seemingly different masters of the twentieth century. In the process of preparing the exhibition, studying in detail the materials of the life and work of Ilya Zdanevich, visiting the extensive archive in Marseilles repeatedly, more and more often I began to catch the eye of the multiple testimonies of his creative union and long-standing friendship with Pablo Picasso. However, I could not find any convincing evidence in the extensive literature on the artist’s work and life’s path. It was this circumstance that prompted me to search and study materials related to Ilyazd’s work on livre d’artiste books with printed drawings by Picasso. And the further I moved along this path, the more and more clarified the circumstances that are evidence of the special relationship of friendship and creativity that developed between Ilyazd and Picasso.

Elena Gens, Vice President of LANIT Group for Social Projects:

This exhibition is the first after the departure of my father, George Gens, which will open without him. The more its emotional significance for us. It is very important for us to understand that what he was doing is ongoing and to contribute. And we are very pleased that the collection lives on and that our creative interaction with the Pushkin Museum is also growing and developing.

The exhibition was conceived during the life of his father. It is unfortunate that he did not find this first international departure of his collection, but that it turned out is one of the best ways to remember it again. Our work began to travel the world - this is a new big stage for us. I am very grateful to Boris Fridman and Marina Loshak for making this possible. It is a great honor and value for me to continue not only the work that my father started, but also the warm and creative friendship with such inspiring people. The exhibition that we are doing now is also an illustration of many years of creative friendship, and it turned out almost symbolically.