Eternal Baroque. From the 17th to the 21st Century

The Volga-Vyatka branch of the A.S. Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts presents the exhibition "Eternal Baroque. From the 17th to the 21st Century." The exhibition explores the connection between motifs in art from the 17th and 18th centuries and the present day. Immerse yourself in the Baroque imagery through works that appeal to the five senses — sight, taste, hearing, touch, and smell. The exhibition is structured as a unique dialogue between eras: in one space, visitors can explore the legacy of great masters of the past — Rembrandt, Jan van Beylert, Anthony van Dyck, Giuseppe Galli Bibiena, and Stefano della Bella — and the works of contemporary Russian artists inspired by the Baroque aesthetic.

Baroque is a grand style that originated in Italy in the late 16th century. It is known for its expressiveness, large-scale compositions, complex designs, and lush details. It is no coincidence that the Italian word "barocco" means "pretentious" or "strange." Over time, the Baroque spirit permeated art throughout Europe. It also became popular in Russia, where it acquired a distinctive national interpretation. Subsequently, the fashion for Baroque gradually faded, which, however, did not lead to the disappearance of its elements from art, as the phenomenon of this style is much more profound than simply an artistic movement. It reflects a distinctive way of thinking and worldview, remaining relevant thanks to its dramatic quality, distinctive expressiveness, and the use of symbols and allegories.

The exhibition "Eternal Baroque. From the 17th to the 21st Century" brings together works of Western European Baroque art, including works by such important artists as Jan van Bijlert and Stefano della Bella, paintings by representatives of the workshops of Massimo Stanzione and Carlo Cignani, engravings based on works by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, Annibale Carracci, Carlo Maratta, and Giuseppe Galli Bibiena, as well as monuments of Russian Baroque and works imbued with the Baroque spirit by contemporary Russian artists: Alina Glazun, Evgenia Buravleva, Vladimir Grig, Francisco and Platon Infante-Aran, Alexandra Mitlyanskaya, Irina Korina, Vadim Mikhailov, Ulyana Podkorytova, and others. Engravings from the Pushkin Museum collection will be key to understanding the timeless nature of the Baroque. They depict allegories of the five senses — edifying metaphorical variations on a theme common in the pictorial tradition of the 17th and 18th centuries.

An allegorical presentation of sensory cognition will allow the viewer to "experience" the Baroque era. The exhibition concludes with a spectacular climax, typical of Baroque theatrical productions, in which meticulously crafted set design was combined with complex machinery, ornate language, and genuine passions.

Darya Kolpashnikova, PhD in Art History and exhibition curator: “Our exhibition is not a dry reproduction of pages from an art history encyclopedia. Understanding that it is impossible to exhaustively describe such a monumental phenomenon as the Baroque, we have strived to create an atmospheric and spectacular immersion into one of the most difficult eras to comprehend. We hope this will inspire any viewer to become interested in the culture of the 17th and 18th centuries, gain a fresh perspective on contemporary art and its connection to history, learn to navigate the unique characteristics of Baroque aesthetics, and experience the impact of the works of art with all their senses.”

The exhibition’s architectural design was developed by the Nizhny Novgorod-based [MISH] studio, a frequent collaborator with the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts. Among the studio’s completed projects are the architecture for the exhibition "Bolotovedenie. A Joint Study of Artists and Scientists" and the exhibition trilogy "Ancient Egypt. The Art of Immortality," which took place in Vladivostok, Novosibirsk, and Nizhny Novgorod; the "Museum of the Year" stand at the Cosmoscow contemporary art fair; and the museum’s "embassy" at the Research Library of Tomsk State University — the "Pushkin Study."

Misha Maslov, architect and head of the bureau: "When designing the exhibition, we deliberately simplified the vibrant textures of the Baroque interiors, subordinating them to the exhibits. At the same time, we preserved the iconic motifs of the era and even exaggerated them in the spatial design principles."

Following the large-scale three-part project "Named by Vasari. Gothic. Renaissance. Mannerism," which ran at the Volga-Vyatka Branch of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts from 2021 to 2024, the exhibition "Eternal Baroque. From the 17th to the 21st Century" continues to introduce viewers to key milestones in art history and invites them to reflect on their concepts. The exhibition is accompanied by an extensive educational program: visitors will be able to attend lectures by leading Pushkin Museum specialists, tours, reading club meetings, children’s master classes, and themed walks around the exhibition.

• Organizer: Volga-Vyatka branch of the A.S. Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts
• Curator: Daria Kolpashnikova
• Architecture: [MISH] studio (Misha Maslov, Elena Evstratova)

The co-organizer of the exhibition is Fineartway LLC.

REFERENCE

Participants of the exhibition: Russian National Museum of Music; Museum Complex "Ekaterininsky" (V. A. Tropinin Museum); Museum-Reserve "Tsaritsyno"; Moscow Museum of Modern Art; Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow; Nizhny Novgorod State Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve; Nizhny Novgorod State Art Museum; AZ Museum; ANNA NOVA GALLERY; Futuro Gallery; MYTH Gallery; ART&BRUT Gallery; pop/off/art Gallery; Gridchinhall Gallery; Pogodina Gallery; Deep List Gallery; a-s-t-r-a Gallery; Triumph Gallery; Marina Gisich Gallery; Nikolay Evdokimov Gallery; private collectors and authors of works.

The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts is a museum complex housing one of the largest collections of international art in Russia. The museum’s holdings comprise approximately 700,000 works by masters of various eras, from Ancient Egypt and Classical Greece to the present day. The museum’s Main Building displays iconic works of world art, including paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Botticelli, Canaletto, Poussin, Northern Renaissance masters, and other prominent artists. Its world-renowned collection of 19th- and 20th-century French art, formed from the collections of art patrons Sergei Shchukin and Ivan Morozov, includes masterpieces by Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and others. In January 2020, the State Center for Contemporary Art, with branches in Nizhny Novgorod and Tomsk, became part of the Pushkin Museum.

The Volga-Vyatka branch of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, located in the Arsenal building of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, hosts numerous exhibitions and interdisciplinary projects, as well as educational, children’s, and inclusive programs. The institution fosters a new creative environment, presenting contemporary artistic processes in combination with classical art.