22 march – 19 may
The All-Russian Decorative Art Museum and the Museum of V.A. Tropinin and Moscow artists of his time open the exhibition, presenting more than 600 items of miniature art of the XVIII - XX centuries.
In the cozy space of a small exhibition hall the visitor gets into an entertaining labyrinth of micro-worlds weaving into each other, each being its own path through time. The exhibition is preceded by the section "Lacquer History" from the collection of the All-Russian Decorative Art Museum, and then one after another there are "Men's Study", "Ladies' Corner", "Children's World", "Animal World", "Kitchen Corner" and "Everyday Life". Each of these sections is made up of items from both collections, and they harmoniously complement each other, demonstrating almost the entire spectrum of the miniature genre in arts and crafts and folk art. To get a better look at the amazing paintings or details of the finishing of the objects, the audience will be provided with special magnifying devices.
Among the exhibits of the museum of V.A. Tropinin and Moscow artists of his time there are works of the second half of the XVIII - XIX centuries, which reflect the life of the nobility, the"high society" culture: filigree micro-mosaics, eglomize and cameos, everyday objects: powder dishes, incense bottles, snuff boxes, beaded purses and other items. An important part of the exposition are paintings and graphics of small forms, which convey sincere and deep images of the inhabitants of pre-revolutionary Russia.
The collection of the All-Russian Decorative Art Museum presents the selected items of decorative-applied and folk art of the second half of the XIX - XX centuries: wooden and bone sculptures, porcelain sets and compositions, folk toys, sets of metal furniture and utensils, jewelry, miniature books, glass and woven works, as well as the smallest exhibits of the exhibition - potsherds. The collection is especially notable for lacquerware with miniature painting - caskets, chests, teapots and needle holders, representing the main centers of lacquer production - Palekh, Mstyora, Kholui and Fedoskino.
Miniature is always an object dear to the heart - a carrier of memory of an event, of home or the loved ones, it evokes feelings of joy, comfort and warmth, and it is with the aim to tell about this wonderful genre, to make us feel like participants of the "theater of heart’s warmth" that two large Moscow museums organized this exhibition.
Exhibition curator: Christina Nikitina, specialist of the exhibition department of the All-Russian Museum of Decorative Arts.
Author of the idea, co-curator: Anna Popova, Deputy Director of the Museum of V.A. Tropinin and Moscow artists of his time.
Exposition architect: Margarita Yudina-Nadezhdina, exposition designer of the All-Russian Museum of Decorative Arts.