Russian Icon Collection Publishes its First Ever Comprehensive Catalog

NEW YORK, April 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Russian Icon Collection has released its first catalog titled “Russian Icons from the Mid-17th to the Early 20th Century: The Collection of Oleg Kushnirsky.” The book came out in the “EKSMO” publishing house. The launch of the catalog will take place on April 26, 2023, at the Museum of Russian Icon (Moscow).

The book aims to introduce the general public to the valuable yet understudied pages of icon painting and to promote Russian religious painting and its history.

The collection of religious art began to form in the 1990s after Oleg Kushnirskiy emigrated to the US. Not only is it representative of a significant part of Russian culture, but it also bears witness to the tumultuous history of the 20th century, from the Bolsheviks’ sale of artworks in the 1920s to the second and third waves of emigration.

Ilya Kushnirskiy, the director of Russian Icon Collection:

“This collection was born out of a passion – a passion that was developing subtly and intensifying over time and eventually becoming a life mission and an inseparable part of its founder’s identity.”

The collection, reflecting the founder’s interests, expands the concept of Russian religious painting from the 17th to the early 20th century. It includes forty-six rare works from the period, mainly created in the traditions of ancient Russian icon painting.

Edited by art historian and art director of the Russian Icon Collection Sofia Birina, the book is the result of meticulous academic research of Oleg Kushnirskiy’s collection. The catalog and one of the articles accompanying the publication were written by Anna Ivannikova, an expert of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and a specialist in Russian icon painting from the 18th to the early 20th century. The book also features articles by art historian and Chapman University professor Dr. Wendy Salmond and Israeli sociologist and cultural expert Dr. Alek D. Epstein.

The publication received support from Nikolay Zadorozhny, the director of Moscow’s Museum of Russian Icon, and the prominent collector and antiquarian Sergey Khodorkovskiy, whose forewords appear in the catalog. It was also supported by the art logistics company Fine Art Shippers.

Nikolay Zadorozhny, the director of the Museum of Russian Icon:

“Oleg Kushnirskiy relied on both his intuition and scientific criteria, working closely with art historians, icon painters, and restorers when building his collection. Thanks to this comprehensive approach, his collection is now able to accurately represent an important milestone in the development of Russian religious art – the late Russian icon.”

Contact:
Ilya Kushnirskiy
[email protected] 
+19176585075

SOURCE Russian Icon Collection