Collectors

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Russian collection of the Museum of Oxford

Victor LEONIDOV

Oxford historians for art mainly associated with the name of Leonid Pasternak. There our wonderful impressionist, father of Boris Pasternak lived until 1945. There, through the efforts of their daughters and granddaughters, Elizabeth Pasternak-Slater, a museum, Leonid Osipovich. But on another fantastic collection of our art in this marvelous Shakespearean university town, the Museum Eshmola, in Russia almost nothing is known.

This is one of the oldest museums in Europe. He, starting from the end of the seventeenth century, when Lord Elias Eshmol gave Oxford its renowned collection of historical curiosities. It is based on meeting the famous English collector and archaeologist John Treydeskenta. In their quest Treydeskent reached up to Russia Pomorie - one of the most valuable pieces in the current Eshmolskogo museum are ancient Russian abacus, which the scientist had found somewhere near Arkhangelsk. Lord Eshmol really wanted to implement the dream of Francis Bacon, who dreamed of creating a "city-thought, where would superimposed collection of antiquities, a research institute and educational center. And his dream to fruition - now Museum Eshmola became one of the most famous artistic and scientific centers of the United Kingdom.

 

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Here, on a quiet street in Oxford, in a big beautiful building and found refuge one of the best collections of Russian art and graphics outside of Russia. His bequest of Michael Braykevicha, who died in London in 1940, passed close to a patron.

"There was so much in this man of vitality, such young eyes gleamed from under his bushy gray eyebrows, so does not fit the idea of eternal rest with his entourage in kind," - wrote the British newspaper after the death of Mikhail Vasilyevich Braykevicha in February 1940. "Actually, I watch out for a few people with too pronounced energy offensive and even violent temperament. And so it was, and appeared before me this dear southerner, incredibly agile, and in his impatience, and in his own way to complete the deal almost did not heed to that resistance against whom he led the offensive ...", - both on Braykeviche spoke Alexandre Benois.

Indeed, the energy Braykevichu, one of the most prominent collectors of the Silver Age and the first wave of emigration was not to occupy. Engineer, one of the best graduates of the Institute of Communications, the person that created the port facilities in Libau, dreadnought at the Nikolayev shipyard and Yeysk Railway, he was very popular in Russia. And especially in Odessa, a city where a few years, was elected mayor, including in the terrible years of the Civil War. And he was Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Provisional Government, member of the famous lasi meeting when representatives of political parties in Russia and the heads of local self-Russian regions not occupied by the Bolsheviks, had been negotiating with the Allies on Russia's future. M. Braykevich always opposed any partition Russia Empire. The indefatigable Democrat, editor and publisher of the Russian magazine "Economist", released in England, he wrote a lot in the emigre press freedom and the need for private competition in the country, which he has never had the chance to see after his departure from Russia in 1920.
  
Still, the main, all-consuming passion for the life of Mikhail Vasilyevich has been collecting works of Russian artists in the main range of the World of Art ". Before his crazy energy of the collector could not resist almost none. "One of the main reasons, however, when this battle was to notarization Braykevicha that he bought works of art not so much for personal pleasure, how to create a collection that he intended the gift to Odessa" - recalled AN . Benois. And indeed, when he left to emigrate, M. Braykevich, passionately fond of Odessa, and for many years lived in the Black Sea, Novorossiysk University has left more than a hundred paintings, which today are the pride of the Odessa Art Museum. Here is the portrait of Savva Mamontov of the great V. Serov, and the famous self-portrait G. Serebryakova in costume of Pierrot, and "Marsh Lights" by M. Vrubel. And, of course, Somov, his exquisite landscapes painted in the early twentieth century. There is also a portrait of himself Braykevicha and his daughter Tatiana, by Konstantin. They gave Odessa's daughter patron Ksenya Fielding-Clark in 1976.

Other somovskie portraits of Mikhail Braykevicha and Tatiana are in the collection of the Museum Eshmola. There, he entered the main part of the collection patron. There could not be Somov, because his art, and his personality was one of the main concerns Braykevicha over several decades of life. Konstantin Andreevich Somov and died at the hands of his faithful friend.

  "Our friendship began in the distant pre-war years, grew stronger with the years and has never violated quarrel" - recalled after the death of Mikhail Somov Braykevich. "... I remember with what looks exciting, I waited Somov went out of his St. Petersburg living room into the adjoining dressing-room where he kept for himself on the nature of studies of early youth, often because they occurred to himself especially to the heart to order to select two or three things for me. And what they were treasures! Somov, with no less right than Serov and Levitan, may be subtle poet of the Russian landscape. In another article, written during the life of your favorite artist, Braykevich on the skill of a portrait of their pet compared with only Levitsky.

The collection is stored Eshmola somovskie costumes for Anna Pavlova and Karsavina, and fantastic artist sketches on the theme gallant courtly XVIII century, and masters of self-portraits, and a portrait of Tatiana Braykevich, daughter of his benefactor and friend. And how not to mention another portrait - beautifully drawn image Yevgeny Mikhailov, favorite nephew of the artist.

... April 7, 1931 Somov had sent my sister the next line from Paris: "The main event we had a visit from my admirer in Paris. I gave him my private show ... I started to write a portrait of his daughter on the crayon sketch, showed him the material and could not resist showed a portrait of himself, although he had just missed. All this he approved and this has encouraged me. Another version of this portrait, made with oil, now adorns the collection of the Odessa Art Museum.

Tatiana Braykevich and became one of the main figures in the transfer to Oxford collection of his father.

The intention of Mikhail Vasilyevich, who lived from the beginning of 1920 in Golder Green - a suburb of London, to leave the collection to a museum in Europe was known long ago. "Braykevich set out to gather in a foreign land full of possibilities Museum of Russian school of painting, rather, that part of the school, which is called" Peace of art. "But, moreover, he again had the idea of preserving a private collection in a more solid and less prone to accidents institution. More and more grew stronger in him a desire to insufficiently appreciated outside Russia, "Russian school" has a rightful place among the rest of European artistry "- wrote Alexander Benois.

In the archives of the Museum Eshmola survived numerous letters Tatiana Braykevich to custodians and the director. The fact that the first family benefactor gave the collection in the London Tate. However, in the testament of Michael Braykevicha was clearly stated that the condition of the transfer may be used only permanent exhibition of works.

Paying tribute to the collector, can not fail to note that from the standpoint of a professional art critic wish it was not very literate. The fact is that most works were pastel and gouache - they quickly fade. In addition, the museum - a living organism, it must be all the time to change something.

And then it turned out that the Tate Gallery, one of the richest museums in Europe, to fulfill main wish Braykevicha can not. Apparently, at a time when only the end of the Second World War, members of the gallery simply poorly imagined that really mean names Bakst, Serov, Somov, Benois, Dobuzhinsky.

So, now stored in the museum collection are masterpieces from the collection Braykevicha, as, for example, Serov Portrait of Countess Varvara Musina-Pushkina and Helena Roerich. And how not to mention numerous theatrical sketches by Leon Bakst, are its "pearl", as the sketch of the dancing of Isadora Duncan and a portrait of a prima ballerina of the Imperial Theaters Zuchchi Virginia. There is also an "Autumn" Isaak Levitan and a series of theatrical sketches by Alexander Benois. In meeting Eshmolskogo museum stores its repeated version of the famous painting "Paul I, taking the parade at the Mikhailovsky Castle." Benoit wrote this painting in 1939 specifically for Braykevicha, after thirty-two years after the establishment of the main picture, is being kept in the Russian Museum ...

But in the collection of Russian art in the Museum of Oxford is the oldest paintings, drawings and watercolors, related not only with the name Braykevicha. They gave a doctor of medicine, a Russian emigre Tatiana Gurlyand and art critic Mary Firestone. Thanks to the latest museum Eshmola has today costumes, made by Ivan Bilibin to the opera by Rimsky-Korsakov's The Tale of Tsar Saltan, drawing Pavel Fedotov, the work of Natalia Goncharova and Mikhail Larionov.

And Tatyana Gurlyand donated to the museum of the brilliant Basil Shuhaeva, who had returned from Paris to Moscow and miraculously not perished in Stalin's camps. Even with this woman, that captures the beauty of Alexander Yakovlev (the portrait is also in the meeting), in Oxford were theatrical designs by Konstantin Korovin and landscapes of the Russian villages, which are so easily and skillfully written to the memory of this descendant of the Moscow merchants of Old Believers. Well, one of the main values of the gift Gurlyand - picture Valentin Serov's "Hunger".

Several works Benoit Eshmolskomu bequeathed to the museum known throughout Europe Maecenas Baroness Charlotte Bonhem Carter. About her cheerful temper was legendary. She loved to collect the guests in his huge castle in southern England, where there was not one of a window. By walking the halls of the wind, but the Baroness, busy collecting art was not up to life. Man she was in memory those who knew her, very easy, and thanks to her in the museums of England today there are hundreds of pictures.

And two words about that, thanks to which we can now tell you about a fabulous collection of the Museum Eshmola. About Larisa Salmin-Haskell, for many years served as the repository of Russian heritage in the most famous art collection in Oxford.

One of the biggest specialists in the Renaissance, who worked at the Hermitage, it is not being a member of the CPSU, often accompanied by exhibitions of the Hermitage abroad. Foreign partners just anyone else would not be the case. A granddaughter of a Russian officer, who fought in the Expeditionary Force in France during the First World War, and the daughter of a military miracle, are not involved in the case of "conspiracy marshals, survived the siege of Leningrad, Larisa in 1965, she married the brilliant art critic, author of many monographs the history and philosophy of art Englishman Francis Haskell. They lived and worked in Oxford for many years. Today Larisa continues to serve - it is difficult to find another word - the art of Russia. It prepared and published an excellent catalog on Russian stocks Eshmolskogo museum.

1.I.Bilibin. Design sketch of the play "City of Kitezh. 1928

2.K.Somov. "Sunbathing". 1930
3. Benois. Costume design. 1914
4.N.Goncharova. "Exotic Wood"
4.K.Somov. Portrait of T. Braykevich