Collectors who have had a special influence on the development of art in Russia

In addition to the aristocracy and the royal family, which stood apart, the Russian merchants had a special influence on collecting art objects. Whole dynasties of Moscow and St. Petersburg merchants were fond of painting, porcelain, coins and jewelry, collecting priceless collections. Many of them became reputable benefactors and patrons of art – they founded museums and bequeathed their treasures to the state.

Ilya Ostroukhov

Ilya Ostroukhov was from the merchant class, but had an artist’s education and for 14 years ran the Tretyakov Gallery. In his mansion he collected a collection according to his personal taste – Chinese lacquer, French painting, bronze, dishes, glass and, of course, Russian icons. With his tireless participation and popularization, the icon “opened” from an artistic point of view (before that, the religious one prevailed).

Alexey Bakhrushin

Alexey Bakhrushin, a wealthy cloth and leather merchant. He was fond of theater, collecting items of clothing and theatrical use belonging to famous artists, playbills from performances, engravings with autographs, performance programs, posters, etc. He founded the Theater Museum (there was no such thing in Europe), for which he erected a mansion and donated it Academy of Sciences, where he worked as a research assistant after the change of regime.

Isaac Brodsky

Isaac Brodsky, artist and teacher, student of I. Repin. His career was successful before and after the revolution, because numerous government orders and the position of an academician made it possible to profitably acquire paintings by Surikov, Kustodiev, Levitan, Golovin, Vrubel. Having come under investigation for the purchase of antiques, he was forced to bequeath his extensive collection to the state.

George Kostaki

Having lived almost all his life in Moscow, Kostaki was especially fond of the Russian avant-garde. It is not without reason that he is considered the largest collector. A passionate admirer of art, he carefully searched for and bought the canvases of Kandinsky. Chagall, Malevich, Rodchenko, Larionov, Tatlin, assessing their potential. The collection was kept in a large apartment on Vernadsky Avenue, where he liked to arrange creative evenings and shows. Forced to emigrate to Greece, he “donated” his canvases to the USSR (for this he was allowed to take 1/5 of them with him). collectors in Russia