Seminar: Matthew Cullerne Bown
British Scholar And World Authority On Soviet Era Art
Saturday, December 8th thru Saturday, December 8th, 2007
In Support of Current Exhibition, Matthew Cullerne Bown Makes Exclusive U.S. Appearance to Speak on Russian Artist and Personal Friend Geli Korzhev
MINNEAPOLIS (Nov. 12, 2007) – The Museum of Russian Art (TMORA) today announces it will host internationally renowned art historian and author, Matthew Cullerne Bown, on Saturday, Dec. 8, 2007 where he will present his keynote lecture – "Geli Korzhev: 60 Years of Art." These public lectures will be presented at 10:30a.m. and 2:30p.m., and will supplement the museum's current exhibition, Raising the Banner: The Art of Geli Korzhev, currently on display through Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008.
Mr. Bown is widely considered to be a leading world authority on Soviet era art and has authored numerous seminal works on the topic, including Art of the Soviets (Manchester University Press, 1994) and Socialist Realist Painting (Yale Press, 1998). Additionally, he manages and edits IZO (www.izo.com), a blog devoted to Russian art news and commentary. He has also maintained a long-term personal relationship with Geli Korzhev, whose work he considers to be among the most compelling and consistent examples of late 20th century realist painting. Mr. Bown will explain the process through which Geli Korzhev emerged as one of the acknowledged leaders of the Soviet and post-Soviet art community in Russia. He will share some of his personal experiences with this dynamic, yet socially reclusive, artist who continues to be a creative force in 21st century Russia.
As seating is limited, reservations are strongly recommended. Contact the museum at 612-821-9045, extension 3. Admission is free for TMORA Members and $5.00 for the general public.
ABOUT MATTHEW CULLERNE BOWN: Mr. Bown was born in London in 1956, studied at various local art schools between 1975-81 and was eventually appointed a British Council Scholar in 1985. Speaking fluent Russian, he completed his educational training at Moscow University in 1988 at which point he went on to author several English-language books on Russian and Soviet art including: Contemporary Russian Art (Phaidon Press, 1989), Art Under Stalin (Phaidon Press, 1991), and the Dictionary of 20th Century Russian and Soviet Painters (Izomar, 1998). Mr. Bown has authored articles and provided critical reviews for various European and American publications and several of his books are considered benchmarks of technical reference for Russian and Soviet art evaluation.