The exhibition is dedicated to Russian painter Vasily Rozhdestvensky (1884-1963), who was one of the vivid representatives of an avant-garde group 'Jack of Diamonds'. He managed to master Cézanne's system and developed his own vision.

Rozhdestvensky was meant to become a priest, like his father, but the passion for art lead him to The Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. There he met Robert Falk, Alexander Kuprin and Mikhail Larionov. Later in the army he got acquainted with Pyotr Konchalovsky. These artists set an avant-garde group 'Jack of Diamonds'. They made a huge impact on Russian art of that time, the new comprehension of form and colours inspired by French fauvism and cubism.

World War I detached the painter from art, leaving a blank space in his biography. Due to that reason, his name was left behind his famous friends-artists.

The Gallery has chosen 30 paintings, most of them were borrowed from The State Tretyakov Gallery and The Russian Museum, 5 canvases originate from private collections.

The exhibition covers an early period (1910-1920ies) of Rozhdestvensky's art. That was the time of an experiment and creative searchings. The exposition is meant to show the quality and individualistic character of that artist, whose name was unfairly pushed aside.

Curators:
Natalia Kournikova
Ksenia Rogozhnikova