Named Vasari. Gothic 12+ Automatic translate

An exhibition dedicated to the Gothic era and its interpretations in the works of contemporary artists is opening at the Volga-Vyatka branch of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (Arsenal) in Nizhny Novgorod with the support of the OMK-Uchastiye charity foundation and the United Metallurgical Company.

The exhibition is the first stage of the three-part project "Named Vasari", combining exhibits from the collections of the Pushkin Museum and works of contemporary art. The project, like the festival of the same name, which has been held at the Arsenal since 2014, is named after the famous Italian artist, architect, art historian Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574). His book "Biographies of the most famous painters, sculptors and architects" (1550) became the starting point for the entire modern science of art. Vasari was the first to propose the division of art history into three large periods, which are devoted to three parts of the project - "Gothic", "Renaissance" and "Mannerism".

"Named Vasari" is the first example of a new approach to organizing projects in the branches of the Pushkin Museum. The exhibitions will be based on exhibits from the museum’s collection, which will be rethought and combined with works of modern art in such a way as to fit perfectly into the context of the city and region where they are displayed.

Marina Loshak, director of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts: “For the Pushkin Museum, the project“ Named Vasari ”is extremely important, because in it we are trying for the first time a completely new approach to creative interaction with our branches. The curatorial group, in which colleagues from Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod work together, has created a project that combines the great history of art and its modern stage, the global educational mission of the museum and respect for the Russian cultural context. In addition, this is a great reason for the museum to update the sections of our collection that rarely attract the attention of viewers - the collections of sculpture and casts, from which the museum once began. I believe that this project will not leave anyone indifferent. "

The first stage of the project will be an exhibition about the Gothic - an era that Vasari thought was barbaric.

Since the time of Vasari, stereotypes about the dark, Dark Ages have taken root in world culture, but they are not limited to today’s idea of ​​the Middle Ages. It was the era of city building, the formation of universities, engineering and architectural innovation, creative breakthroughs in many fields of science and culture.

Anna Gor, head of the Volga-Vyatka branch of the Pushkin Museum: “Reflecting on the 13th century, to which the Vasari-fest was dedicated in 2021, we found many intersections and analogies with today, and realized that our interest in broad cultural contexts makes it possible interpretations in comparison with actual artistic search and vice versa. Hence this exhibition. We really hope that it will inspire our viewer to study art as well ”.

Irina Sedykh, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the OMK-Uchastiye Charitable Foundation: “We have been supporting a variety of projects in the field of art for a long time. Moreover, for more than 10 years, at the initiative of our foundation, the largest festival “Vyksa | Art-Ovrag ", which helps to develop the creative environment in the city through contemporary art. Therefore, it is with great pleasure that we support the new unique exhibition project of the Nizhny Novgorod Arsenal, with which we have established long-standing friendly and partner relations. The project shows the interconnection of different cultural eras and makes it possible to better understand contemporary art, which is based on the experience of the classics. "

Some of the realities of medieval society are consonant with what is happening to humanity today, and medieval motives often arise in the works of contemporary artists. That is why it became possible to combine in one project exhibits from the funds of the Pushkin Museum and works of modern art, which will help the viewer travel back in time.

The exhibition unfolds in two spaces: in the Basilica, which metaphorically represents the spiritual life of a medieval man, and in the Square, which becomes a place for social interaction. The Basilica exhibits works from the collections of the Pushkin Museum - first of all, rare items from the collection of sculpture, some of which will be shown to the general public for the first time, as well as several casts referring to the Gothic era. The works of contemporary artists, subtly and delicately interpreting the images of the spiritual life of the Middle Ages, enter into a dialogue with the monuments of the past. The dialogue continues on the "Square", where the typical types of medieval society appear in the works of modern art, with which the viewer can relate himself.

The exhibition includes works by Recycle Group, Evgeny Antufiev, Alexander Brodsky and Ilya Utkin, Olga Kroytor, Andrey Kuzkin, Mayana Nasybullova, Alexander Ney, Denis Patrakeev, Tanya Poniker, Vladimir Chernyshev, Nestor Engelke.

The exhibits were provided by the State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts (Moscow), the State Museum and Exhibition Center ROSIZO (Moscow), the Triumph Gallery (Moscow), Anna Nova Gallery (St. Petersburg) and private collectors.

The architectural and artistic solution of the exposition was developed by the famous Russian artists Galina Myznikova and Sergei Provorov (Provmyza group, Nizhny Novgorod), who often turn to medieval themes in their work. The halls of the Arsenal will become the space of a total installation, immersing the viewer in the atmosphere of the Middle Ages. The project was prepared with the participation of STUDO T + T (Igor Shirokov, Elena Shirokova, Nizhny Novgorod).

The exhibition will be accompanied by a parallel program (lectures, discussions, concert) with the participation of renowned specialists in the history, culture and art of the Middle Ages and our time.

Exhibition working hours: from 12:00 to 20:00 daily (the ticket office is open until 19:30), Monday is a day off. Every Wednesday admission to the exhibition is free.

Exhibition cycle idea: Anna Gor
Curators: Daria Kolpashnikova, Ekaterina Kochetkova
Scientific consultant: Vasily Rastorguev