Russian art

If to look from the point of view of the number of works conserved in the funds of National Art Museum of Moldova, Russian art is situated on the second place after National art. This thing could be easily explained if we take into consideration the fact that art pieces were acquired from collectors from Moscow and Saint Petersburg. After the war there were made donations by central museums from Russian Federation for the development of the museum net all over the former Soviet Union. Thus, in Chisinau were brought important specimens of Russian painting: at the end of the 40ies remarkable works were donated Young girl at bathing by Zinaida Serebreacova, the sketch Head of a boy by Aleksandr Ivanov, and Portrait of Julia Proshinskaia by Boris Kustodiev. In 1975 were purchased the well known paintings Girl with grapes by Orest Kiprenski, At the inn by Vladimir Makovski, and a range of graphic works made by Valentin Serov, Filip Maleavin and others.

At present the collection of National Art Museum of Moldova holds works representing almost all the genres of Russian art (only with the exception of medieval sculpture in wood). From the chronological point of view there are reflected almost all the stages of the development of art in this country – from medieval icons to the paintings and graphic works from the Soviet period. Less in number but very valuable are the paintings made by Russian masters of the 18th century (Portrait of Peter the Ist and others). The 19th century is represented more completely – there are works of masters of neoclassicism and Russian romanticism as well as works of realist painters from “peredvijnik” trend. The first decade of the 20th century and the period before the Revolution from October 1917 is best represented through paintings and graphic works of the Russian artists that were part of the association “The World of Art” (Mir iscusstva). The artworks from the soviet period are the most numerous.