A unique exhibition of Russian porcelain has been sponsored in two cities of Germany at the same time, from 12 April to 31 August. Over 700 invaluable exhibits from Russian museums highlight two periods in the Russian history. The first exposition in the castle of the German Kaisers in Bad-Homburg presents tsarist porcelain of the 18th to 20th centuries, and the Museum of Applied Arts in neighbouring Frankfurt-am-Main accommodates porcelain created after the fall of the monarchy in Russia. The second exhibition is entitled Porcelain of the Revolution.
Porcelain of the tsarist epoch is presented not only as dishware and small plastic forms, but, as something that tells about aesthetic norms, table manners, and even important historical events, resulting from Russian home and foreign policy. For instance, the so-called Egyptian set tells about the Egyptian campaign of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798-1801. The idea of creating such a set belongs to Baron Dominique-Vivant Denon, Napoleon’s chief adviser in artistic matters and a participant in the French expedition to Egypt. His album of engravings titled Travels to Lower and Upper Egypt served as the basis for the sculptural décor, subjects, and ornamental painting of the set, which comprises 136 items. Napoleon gave the set as a present to Tsar Alexander I on the occasion of the conclusion of the peace of Tilsit in 1807. Rare items in the exposition are dishware bearing depictions of Russian peasants of the early 19th century and statuettes featuring battle scenes of World War I.
Seemingly, the ancient art of porcelain could not have anything in common with Russian avant-garde art. Yet, the second part of the exhibition entitled Porcelain of the Revolution proves the opposite. Futurist, Supremacist, and Constructivist compositions often look more appropriate in the media of porcelain than on a canvas. It also includes so-called propaganda porcelain glorifying Stalin’s epoch and Soviet values.
Sergei Khudyakov, the head of the Moscow cultural department, said that the project is unique, for it gives the opportunity for the first time to residents and guests of German cities to see rare exhibits exhibiting Russia’s cultural diversity. The exhibition’s programme is supplemented with film shows, literary recitals, and tasting of traditional Russian food.
27 May 2008
Yekaterina Andrusenko
http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27553&cid=62&p=27.05.2008 (in English)
