NICEVILLE — From the grandeur of the Russian Imperial era to the darkness of the Soviet Union, visual arts from the region we collectively call “Russia” are on exhibit at Northwest Florida State College Mattie Kelly Arts Center.
See photos from the "Of Empires" exhibit>>
“Of Empires: Russian and Soviet Art” is an exhibition culled from the private Collection of Jim Rabourn, a Fort Walton Beach resident whose U.S. civil service duties took him throughout Asia and Europe over his 39-year career.
At its height, the former USSR encompassed 15 separate republics — fully a sixth of the planet — and more than 100 ethnic groups before its collapse in 1991. Paintings and objects from the former Soviet Union highlight this vastness and cultural diversity.
Among them are paintings by Boris and Luba Brinskih that depict less familiar “Russian” landscapes such as eastern mosques, bazaars and deserts.
Imperial Russian decorative arts include works by influential late-19th-century sculptor Evgeni Alexandrovich Lanseray, whose work influenced the rise of the modern art movement in Europe.
Paintings by Vasily Pukirev depict the class struggles that would lead to the Bolshevik Revolution and ultimately, the establishment of the USSR. His “The Tax Collector” aptly captures that theme.
No collection of Imperial Russian visual art would be complete without pieces from the House of Fabergé, the celebrated jewelers to the last members of the ruling Romanov dynasty.
Exhibited Faberge pieces include a silver sugar basket and gold and jewel-encrusted cufflinks that are attributed to the celebrated studio.
The exhibit, and Raina Benoit’s installation, “The Tree Army” in the neighboring Holzhauer Gallery, are on display until July 18.
WANT TO GO?
WHAT: “Of Empires: Russian and Soviet Art”
WHEN: Weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 90 minutes prior to most Mainstage productions, through July 18
WHERE: McIlroy Gallery, Matty Kelly Arts Center, Northwest Florida State College
COST: Free
NOTES: Paintings, sculpture, Kasli Ironworks and Fabergédecorative arts from the Collection of Jim Rabourn
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Russian and Soviet art on display at NWFSC