Turkestani Avant-garde exhibition in the State Museum of Oriental Art in Moscow is back

February 5, 2010 – April 15, 2010

This exposition features approximately 150 works by various artists, who lived and worked in Central Asia in 20s and 30s of the XX century or somewhat later.  Drawn from the private and museum collections in Russia, it provides an introduction to what is called “Turkestani Avant-garde”.

Been influenced by the Russian Avant-garde of the 10s, many artists traveled to the Central Asia in search of new impressions and investigated new  pictorial forms and ways in the culture, where an easel painting had never been at an advantage on traditional basis.  They discovered a new  foreshortening, and landscape and cultural surroundings – national arts, customs and daily life – were a breeding ground for bold and colorful artistic experiments against European Art School.

They were not outsiders;  many of them were working as activists in saving and restoration of architectural monuments or organizing educational and artistic schools and classes. Finally, they were those, who fostered the first generation of national painters, graphic artists and sculptures.

In 20s - 30s the Russian Avant-garde was on the decline, but it was the period, when these pioneering and impressive works, given a conventional term of “Turkestani Anant-garde”, were created. These works are still lack of the influence of Socialist realism, but have distinguishing features of Avant-garde.

Several works of this exposition were on view in this walls during the exhibition “Uzbekistan painters” in  1934, other works have never been on public display.

This space of intensive colors and original compositional thinking is greatly supplemented by series of traditional Uzbek male robes, photos and black and white documentary chronicles of 30s to give a viewer a four-space impression.

The exhibition is organized by the State Museum of Oriental Art in cooperation with the Mardjani Foundation and private collectors.

Film materials are made possible by the Russian State Archive of Cinematographers in Krasnogorsk.