The Museum of Russian Art

Main Menu

About The Museum of Russian Art

Raymond E. Johnson, the founder of The Museum of Russian Art, is a businessman, an art collector, and, now has established a nationally acclaimed museum. Click here to read more about his life-long love of art, his desire to improve Russian-American relations, and his fantastic collection of realist paintings in Joel Hoekstra’s article, “Minister of Culture,” which originally appeared in the May 2005 issue of Mpls.St.Paul Magazine.

In the mid-1980's Raymond E. Johnson, a successful dealer in 20th century American Realist paintings, was seeking a new direction for his art business located in Scottsdale, AZ. The time period coincided with the social and political liberalization process initiated by Communist party Chairman Mikhail Gorbachev that came to be known as Glasnost.

Mr. Johnson dispatched teams of American art historians and museum curatorial advisors to the Soviet Union in 1989. Their objective was to assess the technical quality and availability of Russian Impressionist paintings created during the reign of the Soviet government. Mr. Johnson assumed that given the traditionally high international reputation accorded Russian artists in dance, theater, literature and the other fine arts, it was reasonable to expect a similar level of expertise in Russian painting.

In 1991, Mr. Johnson sponsored the first known retail exhibition of Russian Impressionist paintings in North America. The immediate and positive response by American collectors to this exhibition encouraged Johnson to launch a large-scale program to identify the finest examples of Russian Realist paintings from throughout the Soviet Union. This concentrated effort which continues at the present time resulted in establishing a formal program through which paintings were exported to the United States under license from the Russian Ministry of Culture. Since 1991, Ray Johnson and his wife Susan have acquired what is believed to be the largest privately owned collection of Russian Realist paintings outside the borders of the former Soviet Union.

Over the past decade the Johnsons have made selected portions of their collection available on loan to a variety of American museums, universities, and cultural institutions for non- commercial exhibition and educational purposes. Since 1991, seventeen major exhibitions have been completed and additional events have been scheduled into 2007. The Johnsons rapidly recognized the unique historical value of their collection and wished to create a legacy of this art for the benefit of both the American and Russian people. The Johnsons have been instrumental in encouraging the creation of an independent museum specifically dedicated to the acquisition, preservation and exhibition of the finest representative paintings of the Soviet era between 1921 and 1991.

The Museum of Russian Art was established in Minnesota in April 2002 as a non-profit, educational corporation and has completed its application to the Internal Revenue Service for tax exempt status. The Museum is governed by an independent Board of Trustees. The mission of the Museum is to conduct a continuous program of public exhibitions of Russian art while supporting and publishing academic research on Russian painting during the Soviet era. The Museum opened to the public in September, 2002.

Background

Between the end of the Russian Civil War in 1922 and the formal dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, it was the policy of the Soviet government to discourage all but officially sanctioned contact between Russian citizens and all foreign governments or their citizens. The Communist Party proclaimed that Socialist Realism would be the only officially approved style of painting promoted within the Soviet Union. These two forces combined to create an environment of cultural isolation in which Russian painting evolved over three generations without significant international involvement.

Mission Statement

The Museum of Russian Art has been established as a non-profit, tax-exempt and publicly funded educational corporation. The institution is dedicated to creating and preserving extraordinary examples of Russian 20th century Realist painting in order to preserve a visual record of the artistic achievements of Soviet era artists.

The Museum will conduct regular exhibitions of paintings from its permanent collection as well as those on loan from other private or public collections.

The Museum of Russian Art anticipates arranging regular tours of Russian art in conjunction with other participating museums throughout the United States and in collaboration with international cultural institutions.

These exhibitions will be designed to provide viewers with a visual record of the historical events, social values and technical painting accomplishments of artists working in the Soviet art community.

The Museum will seek to expand the total scope of public knowledge by financially supporting original research on the subject of Soviet Realist painting. Financial grants will be considered to help fund specific research projects as proposed by qualified American and international art historians. The Museum plans to regularly publish English language books, journal articles and critical commentary to promote academic dialogue on the subject of Soviet painting.

Vladimir Putin Awards Medal of Friendship to Museum Founder

(From Pravda, 11/15/05)

President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday awarded the Medal of Friendship to a Minnesota art dealer whose collections led to the founding of the only museum in North America dedicated solely to Russian art from the Soviet era.

In a statement, the Kremlin and Putin praised Raymond E. Johnson for his work in “developing Russian-American cultural partnership and strengthening friendships between the people.”

Johnson’s collection of Soviet Realist art, which he began acquiring after the 1991 Soviet collapse, makes up the core of The Museum of Russian Art, which reopened in May at its new home in South Minneapolis following a US$5.5 million building project.

The museum’s exhibitions have featured paintings from Moscow’s famed Tretyakov Gallery, centuries-old Russian Orthodox icons as well as Soviet-era paintings from Johnson’s collection.

Note: Mr. Johnson was named Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation for Minnesota in September, 2004.

Mr. Johnson’s appointment as Honorary Consul does not confer any diplomatic authority. For assistance with visa, adoption or immigration issues you must contact the Consul General for the Russian Federation, Mr. Vladimir L. Volnov at:

© Copyright TMORA 2007