In Paris, an exhibition of the collection of the legendary Russian collector ended. And became the most visited in the history of France

In Paris, an exhibition of the collection of Sergei Ivanovich Schukin, a great collector of modernist painting, was held. In the past two weeks, the huge Fondation Louis Vuitton (FLV) exhibition center worked in an emergency mode: from 7 to 23 (on the penultimate day - until one in the morning). It is not customary to work in Paris, but there was no way out.

The right to enter the exhibition also had to be earned. On the street in front of the center until the last, very rainy day, tails stretched.

The exhibition became unique even for Russian experts in painting who reached Paris: yes, of course, all these paintings were from Pushkinsky and the Hermitage, but few people had a chance to see them in a single collection: except for those who were born in the first half of the last century.

In 1948, Comrade Stalin closed a large expert on science and culture, the State Museum of New Western Art, and since then Schukin’s collection has been divided into two halves: part in the Hermitage, part in Pushkinsky.

“The most dubious paintings (from the point of view of ideology) went to Leningrad. Therefore, the Hermitage has more Matisse and Picasso, ”says Schukin’s grandson Andre-Mark Delok-Furko, who agreed to be my guide.

On the halls of the giant architectural masterpiece of FLV, we are walking a couple of weeks before the closing of the exhibition - on this day the organizers are waiting for a millionth visitor.

In total, there were 1 million 205 thousand 63 people. Record for France.

And this was not yet considered: in addition to me, Schukin's grandson spent two Muscovites without tickets in love with impressionists.

Avangardists left Schukin's house

“Shchukin’s exhibition: Triumph lessons” is the headline of the editorial in the Mond newspaper. Other French media were no less banal, but no less accurate in assessments.

127 works from the Schukin collection. From the Symbolists, through the impressionists to the Russian avant -garde, whose paintings Schukin, however, did not buy. The organizers added several works by Malevich, Rodchenko, Goncharova to his collection: they showed that the avant-garde "left the Golitsyn estate" ( Schukin opened his personal house in 1908 for visits, and the artists went there to eat other people's inspiration ). The Bubbovy Valet Khudgop group was created right in Schukin's house.

In the photo: Virtual visit to Schukin's house

As for the Triumph Lessons ...

22 Matisse, 29 Picasso, 12 gogen, 8 Cezanne, 8 Monet ...

Almost all of this was bought in Paris, there was no hundred years and now again returned to Paris for a short time.

The organizers complemented this wealth with other events. Arranged an international symposium long life (19-hour video is available in the fund of the fund)

“Virtuosos of Moscow” gave a concert, Peter Greenway and Saskia Boddek made a video installation to the exhibition ( see amateur shooting from the screen here) , etc.

And Schukin’s grandson is already thinking about the project of the art series about grandfather: “This is the other scale. For the first season, ten episodes, you need 80 million euros. ”

In order to end business, it must be reminded that the Schukin investments in the painting turned out to be visionary from this point of view: his collection is now estimated at more than $ 8.

All this wealth went to Russia.

“Grandfather never spared about loss,” says Delok-Furko. - The revolution took his paintings from him, but he accepted it as liberation. And did not suffer from nostalgia. In the end, being one of the greatest collectors of the twentieth century is not so bad. ”

The first director of the Museum of New Western Art in 1923 was Schukin's eldest daughter.

By that time, he had been living in exile for five years, in Paris. And he tried to bypass his acquaintances of the gallerists: "I just bought several paintings to hang in the apartment."

- In Paris, he had a new family, a new life ... very comfortable and quiet, because the money remained. When my mother was born, he was already 65. By that time, he lost almost everything in Russia ... And when they ask me what the secret of his grandfather’s insight, who was able to guess the future masterpieces, I answer: maybe for this you need to live trouble, lose two sons, lose his wife, lose his brother ...

Picasso and Schukin: Meeting of two leaders

But Schukin began when the tragedies were far away. 80s of the XIX century. In a large family, almost everyone collects the Schukin merchants of the Schukins. Sergei Ivanovich, however, does not collect, “and therefore the brothers tease him a little like that,” says the grandson.

( The influence of Schukin’s collector on the development of painting has already been proven, now, perhaps, it is time to conduct the symposium “The influence of ridicule on the formation of the artistic taste of S.I. Schukin.” - Yu. S. )

“In 1884, his father bought the Palace of Trubetskoy in Moscow and gave him. And in this house, Sergei Ivanovich begins the meeting, says Delok-Furko. - First, this is a hobby for him. In addition, there should be paintings in a decent house. The younger brother lives in Paris like a dandy, relaxed and wide, but he has a very good collection of impressionists. And he advises S. and ... To begin with, his grandfather bought two Cezanne. "

Then almost all the main figures of impressionism fell into the collection. Matisse wrote for Schukin to order - especially for his home. He lived in the Shchukinsky estate. He brought Schukin with a little -known artist from Barcelona.

-Grandfather said: it is still necessary that there is one Picasso in the meeting. OK. He bought, brought a “lady with a fan” to Moscow and did not know where to hang her. As a result, he hung it in a non -paradant corridor ... Then he caught himself inventing reasons to go to the corridor. So he understood the power of Picasso and bought another fifty paintings from him.

“But their first meeting came out joyless,” Delok-Furko smiles. “After her, Picasso threw a caricature of his grandfather.”

The reason is in the clash of equal -dodes:

- It was a meeting of two bosses. One is very rich ... The other is completely poor, but he is still the head of this gang of new painting. Sits on Montmartre with his group. What a look! They are big, he is such a little matador. Behind Matadora are giants: Apolliner, marriage .... When Picasso was 16 years old, in Barcelona, ​​he was already a boss. Therefore, he and Schukin had equality.

“Matisse tried to catch Schukin's gaze and please him. And Picasso did not expect Schukin's gaze at all, although he was proud that such a famous collector buys him ... But there was only a business between them. ”

Pictures from the collection of Schukin, unite!

- And this is the last hobby of Schukin. Deren. From 1910 to 1914, he bought fourteen wood. Anna, the curator of the exhibition (Anna Baldassari, the former director of the Picasso Museum. - Yu. S. ) , she has such a difficult character ... In general, she did not hang him very noticeably here. During the war, he collaborated with the Germans, and she cannot forgive him for this.

- And this is the "customs officer" of Russo, "the muse inspiring the poet." It also hangs in Pushkinsky, ”says our companion, in love, however, to the impressionists.

- Yes? - her companion jokes, looking at the blurred figure of the Muse. -That's what the poet is unknown ...

I'm laughing too.

- This is Marie Laurents, an artist, a muse of Apolliner. Actually, she was thin ... When Rousseau was asked why he portrayed her, he answered: such a poet as Apolliner should have a large muse.

Talking that such a collection as Schukinskaya should have its own, a separate, large museum, it seems, so far you can stop.

-Each time the question raises about to exchange and collect the Morozov collection in one museum, and in the other-Schukinskaya, and in Moscow and in St. Petersburg they say: yes, yes, we agree! Only we take Schukin,-Delok-Furko smiles.

Yuri Safronov, *Paris *

Dossier
Schukin Sergey Ivanovich (1854-1936). Merchant, financier, collector. In 1887, he began to purposefully collect paintings by contemporary artists: Symbolists, Impressionists, Fovists, Cubists ... In his Moscow house (in the Trubetskiy mansion in Znamensky Lane), by 1908 he arranged a museum of modern Western painting. The Shchukin collection (along with the collection of I.A. Morozov) became the basis for the State Museum of New Western Art, which existed in Moscow from 1923 to 1948

In 2012, it became known that in the estate of Schukin-Trubetskiy, which now belongs to the Ministry of Defense, apartments were arranged for Minister A. Serdyukov.

In 2013, Irina Antonova, Director of the Pushkin Museum. Pushkin, advocated for the reconstruction in the mansion of the Trubetsk museum of new Western art, but the initiative did not receive the support of the authorities and colleagues. As a result, the Minister of Culture Medinsky said that the collection will not happen. Instead, the Ministry of Culture, as he could, created for a lot of money the virtual museum of new Western art.

The Paris exhibition “Icon of Modern Art - the Shchukin collection” was held from October 22, 2016 to March 5, 2017 (extended for two weeks).