Radio tour of the exhibition "The Art of a Pure Soul" by Katya Medvedeva. Radio tour of the exhibition "The Art of a Pure Soul" by Katya Medvedeva Exhibition by Katya Medvedeva

Presenting a radio tour of Katya Medvedeva's exhibition in Petrovsky Passage.

One of the brightest representatives of "naive art" in Russia, she began to paint at the age of forty, when she worked as a cleaner in an art school. Twenty years later, her paintings hung in Parisian museums alongside those of Marc Chagall and Henri Matisse. Critics call her a "Russian nugget", collectors consider it a great success to get her works for their own collections. "Art of a pure soul" - this is the name of the exhibition of works, which has been open since April 26 in Petrovsky Passage. The immediacy of joy and sadness, the pure gaze of a child - this is the "naive art" of Katya Medvedeva.

A radio tour for Silver Rain listeners was conducted by:

Listen to the entire tour

1. Dasha Ivanova. 2000. Silk, oil, mixed media. 129 * 92

2. Today I am dancing! 2004. Cardboard, acrylic. 68 * 48

3. Three graces. 2001. Silk, acrylic.

4. Spanish dance. 2004. Silk, oil. 67.5 * 48

5. Self-portrait. 2003. Oil on canvas.

6. The bride. 2013. Oil on canvas, mesh. 93 * 63.5

7. Mom, I don’t want custody! 2017. Silk, mixed media. 87 * 75

8. The lonely sail turns white. 1994. Oil on canvas. 78 * 58

9. To be born in Russia is already the fate of 1989. Oil on canvas. 145 * 97

10. Happy Nativity of Christ! 1990. Oil on canvas. 70 * 50

11. Broken accordion. 2016. Oil on canvas. 68.5 * 54.5

12. Russian landscape. 2001. Oil on canvas. 65 * 86

13. Moscow. 2009. Silk, oil, mixed media. 60 * 80

14. Sunflowers. 2009. Oil on fabric, sequins. 100 * 100

Project partner

A childlike exhibition of paintings by 80-year-old artist Katya Medvedeva is visiting Petrovsky Passage - women are very difficult fate with a talent to create light, happiness-filled pictures.

The delighted Marc Chagall called her "a purely Russian talent", and sophisticated Parisian critics could not write a single negative review about Katya's work.

At the exhibition, which opened within the framework of the Chereshnevy Les Open Arts Festival with the support of BOSCO DI CILIEGI, you can see paintings by Katya Medvedeva from ten private collections created over the past several decades.

Fairy tale characters, poets and ballerinas, birds and village huts are written as if by the hand of a child. The artist always fantasizes with materials, creating her paintings using not only traditional watercolors, oils and acrylics, but also decorating the canvases with black velvet, silk, cloth, artificial pearls, rhinestones and even colored feathers!

“People felt something real in my work. I want to give advice: don't give up - never. Have a purpose in life - you cannot live without a purpose. This exhibition in Petrovsky Passage is a lesson for you: look for yourself at any age. I achieved my happiness with creativity. I still live because I write - for you! " - Katya admitted.

Marina Loshak, Tatiana Metaksa, Andrey Kolesnikov, Margarita Koroleva, Mark Tishman, Igor Vernik and other celebrities were some of the first guests of the exhibition, who solemnly congratulated Katya on her anniversary and helped to hold an auction for the Galchonok charity foundation.

Katya Medvedeva's magical exhibition "The Art of the Pure Soul" is open in Petrovsky Passage until May 31.

Text: Diana Mitskevich

As part of the Chereshnevy Les Open Arts Festival, an exhibition of one of the most famous representatives of naive art in Russia, artist Katya Medvedeva, opened in the aristocratic Petrovsky Passage (April 26 - May 31). Marina Loshak, Tatiana Metaksa, Andrei Kolesnikov, Margarita Koroleva, Mark Tishman, Igor Vernik and others came to be among the first to evaluate the exposition and talk to Katya.
The evening began with a charity auction for which the artist presented several of her works. For many lots, the proceeds from the sale of which will be transferred to the young wards of the "Galchonok" charitable foundation, a real struggle unfolded. The first winner was Andrei Kolesnikov, who got the painting "Ballerinas", and the most expensive lot of the auction was the painting "Giselle", which was bought by Dmitry Pushkar for 195 thousand rubles.
In her welcoming speech, the organizer of the festival, Edith Kusnirovich, emphasized that the retrospective “Katya Medvedeva. The Art of a Pure Soul "is timed to coincide with two anniversaries at once: the artist turned 80 years old, and she dedicated 40 of them to painting. “Katya's creativity touches the soul of everyone, responds in us. The idea of ​​the project was proposed by a friend of the festival, collector Vladimir Tsurko, and the exposition is completely formed from the works of private collectors - faithful accomplices of "Cherry Les", - she said. - This project is a continuation of our tradition of arranging expositions in the elegant building of the Passage on Petrovka - an architectural monument XIX century ".
Western collectors often call Katya Medvedeva's works “painting of a naked soul”: “People felt something real in my work. I want to give advice: don't give up - never. This exhibition in Petrovsky Passage is a lesson for you: look for yourself at any age. I still live because I write - for you! " - Katya admitted.
An orphan from an orphanage, self-taught, Katya Medvedeva began painting when she was almost 40 years old - working as a cleaner in an art school. But already three months later, her first exhibition took place, and 20 years later, in the 90s, her paintings hung in Paris in the same room with the works of Marc Chagall and Henri Matisse. “Purely Russian talent,” the admiring Chagall wrote about her. "Russian nugget!" - Critics exclaimed, and collectors lined up.
The importance of Katya Medvedeva's creativity was emphasized by the director of the Pushkin Museum. A.S. Pushkin Marina Loshak, which put her in a row with the outstanding artists of the twentieth century: “All the exhibitions that are held within the framework of“ Chereshnevy Les ”, a longtime partner of the Pushkin Museum, are wonderful. But I have a special relationship with Katya: her paintings were exhibited in 2004 in our museum, which, as you know, is very strict in the selection of artists. I also have two works by Katya Medvedeva at home. How better artist, the more subtle he is arranged, the more internally free he is - the more he wants to be like the talent that Katya shows. And Kandinsky, and Larionov, and Goncharova, and Malevich dreamed of getting closer to some kind of wonderful, naive and sincere art. But only a few succeeded: Pirosmani, Anri Rousseau and Katya Medvedeva - somewhat close to children, with their absolute openness, generosity, with their free view of the world, joyful and happy. Therefore, the things that we see here with you cannot leave anyone indifferent: they change something in us, they make us smile, think, and sometimes feel sad. But this is a genuine art that gives what we so lack in life: sincerity and joy. "
The exhibition in Petrovsky Passage, which is supported by BOSCO DI CILIEGI, presents works by Katya Medvedeva from ten private collections, created over the past several decades. This is oil painting, acrylic and tempera, watercolors, work on velvet and silk.
Her plots are always a response to positive and dramatic processes in the world around them, the concentration of personal impressions and inner experiences. Medvedeva's favorite themes - piercing landscapes, portraits, biblical subjects and ballet - are just presented on the second floor of the Passage.
A catalog with reproductions of 150 works from private collections, executed from 1984 to the present, has been published for the exhibition.
Now the works of Katya Medvedeva are kept in the Moscow Museum-Estate "Tsaritsyno", House folk art in Moscow, Municipal Museum naive art in Moscow, the Charlotte Zander Museum in Germany and in other museum and private collections in Russia and abroad. Visitors to the Petrovsky Passage can also purchase some of Medvedeva's recent works presented at the exhibition for their collection.
The immediate joy and sincere sadness of Katya Medvedeva is known all over the world today. To live up to 80 years, while continuing to look at the world with an open, pure gaze of a child, is the path of Katya Medvedeva, who will try to follow the exhibition dedicated to her "The Art of a Pure Soul".

The 17th Open Arts Festival has prepared many more interesting events: the full program can be viewed.

More than 50 of her works were hung at the exhibition of Katya Medvedeva

Dozens of ballerinas in fluffy tutus, much more than the hostesses themselves, gaze with playful eyes from the canvases hung on the walls of pink ribbons. The girls seem to be on the pick, airy, lily, vaguely gentle, as is the case in naive art. They are looked after by angels in colorful robes, written in a childishly sincere way. Armfuls of lilies, orchids, marigolds of pastel shades fly to the feet of the dancers. This whole tale is on display at Katya Medvedeva's exhibition in Petrovsky Passage. The artist is 80 years old, of which 40 years she has been living in creativity.

“On the occasion of the anniversary of the special and beloved by many, Katya, we show her touching, childishly naive and surprisingly delicate works created in recent decades,” says the organizer of the arts festival “ Cherry forest"Edith Kusnirovich. - The idea of ​​the exhibition was proposed by our friend Vladimir Tsurko, and the exposition is completely formed from the works of private collectors.

Edith Kusnirovich, Igor Vernik, Katya Medvedeva, Tatiana Metaksa. Photo: Danil Kolodin.

For her, Medvedeva was given two floors in an elegant 19th century building, one of the most talented theater artists Alexei Tregubov was hired, and a hefty catalog of iconic works was published, some of which were put up for auction, the money from which went to the Galchonok Foundation. And the heroine herself was dressed up, surrounded by loyal fans and flowers. Here is Katya sitting in an elegant caftan and a hat, under which pink hairs are hiding, holding a bouquet of sunflowers in one hand, a glass of champagne in the other, and is perplexed:

- God, why did I deserve such a luxury? She was always simple, she did not put her teeth in, she did not reach for wealth at all. And why is it to an orphan from an orphanage? I learned the beauty of painting only at the age of 40, when I came to work at an art school. Cleaning lady. There I began to draw, the first exhibition was immediately arranged for me. She always drew easily - from the heart, from the people. I lie in bed and write ...

Marina Loshak. Photo: Danil Kolodin.

Soviet viewers immediately felt the kindness, originality of Katya's at first glance, which, if you look closely, the theme of the theater is intertwined with biblical subjects. After 20 years, the painting of Bears was accepted by the Europeans with a bang. Her paintings hung in Paris next to the canvases of Marc Chagall and Henri Matisse. “Purely Russian talent,” Chagall admired. "Russian nugget!" - Critics responded, and collectors lined up.

To this day, many are buying up Medvedeva's works. They radiate light, freedom, beauty. Katya's angels flutter, ballerinas dance, flowers swirl. And all her characters, painted with light strokes of watercolor, oil or tempera on velvet and silk, live in their own world. They are drawn into it instantly, since there is no trash, conjuncture, officialdom ...

- I can also boast that I have the work of Katya Medvedeva at home, - admits the director of the Pushkin Museum. Pushkina Marina Loshak. - Every time I wake up, I see beautiful ballerinas who create a unique atmosphere that defines my day. Katya Medvedeva is a rare artist. It seems to us that only professionals whose things we understand as high professional art can be geniuses. But those close to me want to be close to fine artists who are free internally, regardless of the presence or absence of professional education. Kandinsky, Goncharov and Larionov dreamed of getting closer to the miraculous naive art... Its representatives are Pirosmani, Russo, Medvedev. And this is not an exaggeration or a compliment, it is true. Katya is close to children with their absolute openness, generosity, free gaze, joyful and happy, which permeates the entire exhibition. Everyone who comes to it will receive their share of happiness!

• 24.05.2019 13 lots sold out of 20 - only 65%. Bought Moscow, St. Petersburg, Chelyabinsk
• 22.05.2019 Full-time auction No. 56 will take place on Saturday, May 25, 2019. Trading starts at 12:00
• 21.05.2019 The auction catalog on May 25, 2019 amounted to 653 lots - painting, graphics, religious and decorative arts
• 20.05.2019 The traditional twenty lots of the Auction AI are eight paintings, eight original sheets and two printed graphics, one mixed media work and one porcelain plate
• 17.05.2019 Today was the perfect day to sell art: sunny and cool. Indeed, the results are not bad: 14 out of 20 lots sold, that is, 70%

• 13.05.2019 Many believe that such a high concentration of very rich people inevitably creates an adequate demand in the domestic art market. Alas, the scale of purchases of paintings in Russia is by no means directly proportional to the sum of personal fortunes.
• 12.03.2019 This conclusion is contained in a study published in March 2019 by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
• 23.01.2019 A family heirloom, an inheritance, hung on the wall, and it did. But, having decided to sell it, people think for the first time. Where is the best place to sell? How not to sell too cheap? Not so easy questions once it comes down to it
• 21.01.2019 Does a collector need documents to own a painting? Newbies want the final paper, the actual, the armor. What if they steal it? What if you need to sell? How can I then prove that the painting is mine?
• 16.01.2019 Working on the database of auction results, we are most often able to calculate repeat sales. That is, to fix when the work was sold earlier and how much it was possible to earn on it. The best examples of 2018 are in our review