Theadora Clarke, editor and founder of Russian art and Culture

Russian art and culture, the popular and successful on-line magazine and website established by the charming and energetic Theadora Clarke, has just published its useful guide to the forthcoming Russian art week in London when dealers and galleries get together to exhibit their best selection of Russian art.  This year is of particular interest as 2014 is the Russian Year of Culture with numerous events being planned by the Russian embassy and the British Council.

The following press release has been sent out by Russian Art and Culture: –

PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Russian Art Week 22-29 November 2013

This November London’s premier auction houses and arts venues are set to welcome the third Russian Art Week in London. Auctions of rare and valuable Russian paintings, icons, Fabergé and works of art will be held at all the major auction houses, alongside a series of exceptional exhibitions of work by contemporary Russian artists.

The second Russian Art Week in June 2013 saw a staggering £50million exchanged for masterpieces by the likes of Shishkin, Roerich, Mashkov and Fabergé and this November looks set to continue the trend. MacDougall’s will be presenting Bathers at the Lido. Venice (£500,000-700,000), a rare painting by Leon Bakst depicting Nijinsky and Diaghilev; Ilya Mashkov’s Bathers (£600,000 – 800,000) and a stunning jewelled double photo frame by Fabergé are set to be the stand out lots at Christie’s whilst Sotheby’s have an avant-garde masterpiece by Robert Falk: Man in a Bowler Hat (Portrait of Yakov Kagan-Shabshai), estimated to fetch between £2,500,000–3,500,000. Bonhams, who broke records with their sale of Nicholas Roerich’s Madonna Laboris, will be featuring another work by the artist, Kanchenjunga, valued at £800,000-1,200,000.

In addition to the auction houses, several galleries in and around London will be hosting Russian exhibitions. Highlights include two Cork Street exhibitions: International Modern Masters at The Gallery in Cork Street with works by Oleg Trofimov and Andre Kohn among others; and Saint Petersburg Gallery which will be presenting works by Cubo-Futurist Vladimir Baranov-Rossiné. The New Hall Art Collection at Cambridge University is hosting a show of works by contemporary female Russian artists and Erarta Gallery who will host an exhibition of paintings by Valery Valran. Russian Art Week founder Theodora Clarke will also be making her curatorial debut at the Westbury Hotel with an exhibition of paintings by contemporary Russian artist Boris Chetkov. The opening of the show will coincide with the official opening of Russian Art Week.

Other listed events range from ballet and theatre to talks and academic conferences. Russian Art and Culture will again be organising a series of special events, the highlight of which will be a joint event at the Russian Bookshop at Waterstone’s Piccadilly. The roundtable discussion between historians Vladimir Alexandrov, Catherine Merridale and Giles Milton will reveal their surprising and fascinating discoveries as researchers in Russian archives.

For a full listing of events and to download a free guide to this event visit www.russianartweek.co.uk. The next Russian Art Week will take place in early June next year.Russian Year of Culture 2014

This event also acts as a warm up to the upcoming UK-Russia Year of Culture in 2014. Celebrating the long cultural tradition of engagement between the two countries the UK/Russia Year of Culture in 2014 will delight and surprise Russian and UK audiences and illustrate the way in which the relationship continues to develop new, creative and contemporary narratives in both countries. While the Russian Embassy in London will be primarily responsible for Russian events in the UK, the British Council will be presenting a comprehensive programme of events and projects in Russia drawn from all four countries of the United Kingdom and representing all art forms, the creative industries, education, science and language.

More information on Russian Year of Culture 2014 at:

http://ukrussiayearofculture2014.com/

http://www.britishcouncil.org/nn/russia-common-bi-lateral-uk-russia-year-of-culture.htm

Notes for Editors: About Russian Art Week VIDEO about RAW with Theodora Clarke: http://www.russianartweek.co.uk/video/

Russian Art Week is a bi-annual event founded in 2012 by Theodora Clarke, who currently edits the online arts magazine ‘Russian Art and Culture’. The website publishes the best reviews, articles and news on Russian art, related exhibitions and interesting cultural events in the UK. Although the auction houses have traditionally held bi-annual sales, in June and November of Russian art, Russianartweek.co.uk was designed to provide a single source of information for all the week’s events and bring together the commercial and academic audiences of Russian art. Our comprehensive guide to the event which lists sales details alongside other cultural events in the capital is available both as a free pdf online to download and printed copies will be distributed at participating venues. We are delighted to announce that this winter’s Russian Art Week marks the first anniversary of the project, which has continued to grow in strength and support and the third edition of the guide.

Theodora obtained a First Class BA Honours degree in History of Art at Newcastle University and then studied for an MA in Russian Art at the Courtauld Institute in Art in London. She is an accredited lecturer for the National Association of Decorative & Fine Art Societies (NADFAS). Theodora lectures widely on Russian art and European modernism across the UK. Her forthcoming publication ‘Re-Imagining Russia: The Landscape and Genre Paintings of Boris Chetkov’.

Friday 22 November 6.30pm Press private view and curator talk

Exhibition Curator: Theodora Clarke Special Adviser: Terence Rodrigues Please RSVP to: office@russianartandculture.com

HIGHLIGHTS

Images available to the press: Exhibition Highlights: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/y1iavoq9h2zc9pe/IlUaDhg9Mj

Sales Highlights (full captions at www.russianartweek.co.uk) https://www.dropbox.com/sh/64b2cz52xl4ihs7/m8nLdHtDM4#/

AUCTIONS

Russian auctions at Bonhams, Christie’s, Sotheby’s and MacDougall’s (top lots and full captions here: http://www.russianartweek.co.uk/news/)

Exhibitions:

20 September – 21 December 2013

VLADIMIR BARANOV-ROSSINÉ FROM CUBISM TO SURREALISM
St Petersburg Gallery 5a Cork Street

Mayfair London W1S 3NY
Free admission
Mon- Fri 10:00-18:00
Sat 10:00-17:00
www.saintpetersburggallery.com

21 September – 20 December

UTOPIA LTD
GRAD Gallery for Russian Arts and Design 3-4a Little Portland Street London W1W 7JB

Free admission
Tuesday – Friday 11am – 7pm
Saturady 11am – 5pm
Last Thursday of the month open until 9pm
www.grad-london.com

7 November – 5 December

VISIONS OF UTOPIA: SOVIET POSTERS OF 1920’S – 1930’S FROM MARX LIBRARY
Pushkin House 5a Bloomsbury Square London

WC1A 2TA
Monday – Friday 10am – 6pm
Free admission
www.pushkinhouse.org

CONTACT: Theodora Clarke, Founder & Editor, Russian Art & Culture and Director, Russian Art Week editor@russianartandculture.com +44 (0) 203 691 4508

www.russianartweek.co.uk Twitter: @RusArtCulture ORGANISED BY