Theatrum Orbis MMXVII [antikvár]

It goes without saying that the Russian Pavilion is one of the most notable architectural structures in the Venice Giardini (Venice Gardens), one of the oldest national pavilions at the Venice Biennale. Fully compliant with its French name - pavilion - it was located in a shadowy garden built under Napoleon Bonaparte at the end of the plane-tree avenue with a terrace unveiling a wonderful view of the lagoon. The Russian Pavilion, with its beautifully drawn gingerbread facades and carved furniture in the interior, was ceremoniously opened in 1914 in the presence of the Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna (President of the Imperial Academy of Arts), the Mayor of Venice, diplomats and artists. The Pavilion was designed taking into account of old Russian architecture and was reminiscent of fairy tale palaces adorned with gentle pictures and sculpture. Alexei Shchusev wrote from Venice to Moscow: "Everyone likes my pavilion. However, the collection of pictures inside is of little consequence, which is a great pity, as this whole matter will not be successful"1. And also: "In Venice they discovered a pavilion where unfortunately pictures of little consequence had been collected, and that is such a shame"2. There were numerous invited artists, approximately 70, and consequently their works were hung back-to-back. However, diplomats and connoisseurs of fine art were delighted that the Russians had on a par with the English, French and Germans managed to establish in such a wonderful place selected by the august personage their own permanent pavilion for expositions. Nicholas 11 sent a congratulatory telegram from Livadiya. "I am following the opening of the Russian Pavilion with rapt attention and request that you convey my sincerest gratitude to the construction committee"3. The guests contemplated the portraits and landscapes, picturing how they would look on the walls of their drawing rooms, dining rooms and boudoirs. At that time, the Venice Biennale was simply called "the picture exhibition in Venice". Shortly afterwards World War 1 broke out, with tens of millions of lives grist for its horrific mill. Then the revolution happened - first one, then another. They evoked the perturbation of minds and repression, unleashing universal terror. This year we are highlighting the one hundredth anniversary of the Russian Revolution and naturally cannot ignore events that changed the world. Who back then in 1914 could have foreseen that the next exhibition would occur only after war and revolution, and that in 1924 not only would the nostalgic aesthetes Dobuzhinsky and Ostroumova-Lebedeva be represented at the USSR Pavilion, but so too would the militants Malevich and Rodchenko? The unexpected diversity (600 works from 120 artists) is attributable to the fact that they tried to endow the exhibition with commercial meaning, simply sell their works, and then allocate the proceeds to state needs.