ORIGINS OF THE RUSSIAN AVANT-GARDE

This richly illustrated catalogue documents the exhibition organized by the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, in partnership with the State Russian Museum, St Petersburg. Featuring celebrated paintings by such pioneering artists as Wasilii Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, Vladimir Tatlin and Natalia Goncharova, it also includes the work of more than 20 other innovative artists of the Russian avant-garde, some of whose art has rarely been reproduced in colour. These intriguing paintings are juxtaposed with native Russian arts and crafts, including religious icons, popular prints, textiles, and even children's toys, to explore the influence of folk art on the Russian avant-garde during the early decades of the 20th century. These objects were avidly collected during this period by artists and intellectuals, who were aware of the gradual disintegration of peasant culture in Russia and eager to preserve its artifacts. Through a rich array of some 70 paintings, related folk art objects and works on paper, the exhibition and catalogue make clear the intermingling of "high" and "low" forms of visual culture during this exciting phase of avant-garde production.