On Thursday, 27 of April, the Benoit building of the Russian Museum opens an exhibition of paintings by Vasily Vereshchagin, dedicated to his 175th birthday. More than 150 works from the collection of the Russian Museum, the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Historical Museum, art museums of Pskov, Novgorod, Ivanov, Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Cherepovets, Kazan and private collections will be presented . The most famous painting of the artist – “Apotheosis of War” will also be presented at this exhibition.
Vasily Vereshchagin is a highly talented Russian artist, who performed in the late 19th century. A descendant of Russian nobles and an officer of the Russian army, he was remembered by contemporaries as a strong-willed and extraordinary person. He spent thу whole life travelling. He lived in St. Petersburg, Tashkent, Munich, Paris, Moscow. The artist made long trips – to the Caucasus, to Turkestan, to India and Palestine, across Europe and Russia, to the Philippines and Cuba, to America and Japan. As an officer, he took part in all the military operations conducted by the Russian army – in Central Asia, the Balkans, and Japan. He was a man of enormous energy, indomitable will, extraordinary courage and various skills, “experienced man”, who habitually and confidently feels himself at the easel, in the saddle, in the tent, and in the front trench. The exposition will be supplemented with unique documentary materials from the archive of the Russian Museum and household items from the collection of the Russian Ethnographic Museum related to the life and work of the artist. The exhibition will work until July 24.