Contemporary art

To visit the Venice Biennale is always an adventure, given the atmosphere of the town defined by the sea, its canals and artistic and architectural jewels of the past. The festival of arts, which was originally situated only in the Giardini, has spread over the years throughout the city, growing to include exhibitions from more than 70 countries, while many shows from independent groups must find their place in the Giardini’s pavilions, or in palaces, churches and cultural centres.

The Tretyakov Gallery is one of the major museums of national art in Russia. Evolving from a private collection, today it boasts an art collection unique in its characteristics, diversity and scope. Its significance and its place in the contemporary art scene is defined by its special mission, one that combines two very important functions. One of them is traditional - to preserve, study and popularize the vast pool of works of Russian art of the i2th-20th centuries, assembled during the 150 years of the museum’s existence. Another function, a very important one today, is to address topical issues of the contemporary art scene.

With every new event, the Hermitage’s approach to modern art exhibitions becomes clearer. We are already accustomed to seeing the work of cult Western European and American artists in this world-famous museum: a renowned centre of knowledge and research in the art world, the Hermitage pays regular tribute to the acclaimed masters of modernity. Visitors to the Hermitage have been able to enjoy Picasso’s late works, masterpieces of German expressionist art and excellent paintings by the likes of Andy Warhol, the Cobra group, George Segal and Cy Twombly.

The Second Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art has certainly become a significant event in Russia’s cultural life. Almost every Moscow organization in any way related to contemporary art - including museums, galleries, centres of contemporary art, private foundations and even the trendiest of clubs - have tried to make a statement by their participation in the preparation of the exhibition calendar. Their wider purpose is to accurately and proudly present contemporary art in Russia, as well as invite the numerous guests of the Biennale to acquaint themselves with Russian art, both from today and from the recent past.

The 1st International Beijing Art Biennale was an audacious debut worthy of competition with such famous international cultural events as the Biennale di Venezia, the Kassel documenta, the FIAC contemporary art fair in Paris, and the Chicago International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art. It was the first time that such a large-scale, long-term cultural initiative to create a new international forum of contemporary art had been attempted in Asia.