Review of the Oleg Kushnirskiy Collection Catalog by Nikolay Zadorozhny

We are delighted to share with you a review of our icon collection catalog “Russian Icons from the Mid-17th to the Early 20th Centuries: The Collection of Oleg Kushnirskiy” from Nikolay Zadorozhny, the director of the Mikhail Abramov Museum of Russian Icons.

Review of the Oleg Kushnirskiy Collection Catalog by Nikolay Zadorozhny

The XVII–XIX centuries are one of the most peculiar periods in the history of Russian icon painting. The time when the masters of religious art borrowed widely from the Western artistic tradition, while carefully preserving the identity of their own culture. This synthesis gave rise to true masterpieces, the value of which we continue to discover to this day. It was these icons, which form the core of Oleg Kushnirsky’s collection, that attracted his attention in the early 1990s, and enchanted him with medieval asceticism and baroque splendor at the same time.

The Crucifixion, with The Passions of Christ and selected Church Feasts. Third quarter of the XIXth century. Palekh. The Oleg Kushnirkskiy Collection

The specific feature of a masterpiece is that it is able to establish a connection with the connoisseur on a subtle, metaphysical level. The art historian’s method allows for identifying works on an intellectual, logical level. When collecting, Oleg Kushnirsky was equally guided by this invisible emotional connection with the works, as well as scientific criteria, closely interacting with art historians, historians, icon masters, and restorers. Thanks to such a comprehensive approach, his collection today is able to reliably represent an important milestone in the development of Russian religious art — the late Russian icon.

Oleg Kushnirskiy and Nikolay Zadorozhny at the book launch at the Mikhail Abramov Museum of Russian Icons

The book you are holding in your hands, being a subject study, introduces the works that make up the collection into a scientific context. The cataloging and scientific study of each individual icon is a valuable contribution to the common cause of the study of Russian religious art. Moreover, I hope that this catalog will be the first step towards the discovery of the masterpieces of the collection not only by professionals but also by the general public. All the more commendable is Oleg Kushnirskiy’s desire to introduce his collection to an audience both in the homeland of icon painting and in the West, which, without a doubt, will contribute to the popularization of the unique beauty of ancient Russian art.