Mikhail Vrubel at the New Tretyakov Gallery
New Tretyakovka, until 8 March 2022
In fact, no matter how much is said about Vrubel, his genius in world art history remains underestimated. At least because Vrubel invented cubism before cubism. As art critics called him, "The forerunner of Russian Cubism".
The exhibition is devoted to the anniversary of the artist's birth and is structured like all other blockbuster retrospectives of major masters from Pavel Tretyakov's collection - integrating two large museum collections, now the Tretyakov Collection and the Russian Museum Collection. It is said that the curators tried to change the usual and accustomed chronographic principle of the show. But, honestly, the principle of division by theme isn't that new either. The curators of the State Tretyakov Gallery have not come up with a third idea yet, but we promise you: Vrubel's genius speaks for itself. Pay special attention to his watercolour drawings, which can probably be compared only with Alexander Ivanov’s, but that's a different ball game.
https://www.tretyakovgallery.ru/exhibitions/o/mikhail-vrubel
Other Shores. Russian Art in New York. 1924
Museum of Russian Impressionism, until 16 January 2022
In recent years, the Museum of Russian Impressionism has been seeking and focusing on parallel narratives from the history of Russian art of the late 19th and first third of the 20th centuries. Less is known about Russian artists in New York than about Russian artists in Berlin or Paris. We are therefore actively encouraged to look at the results of the exhibition's curatorial research. The main clue was the activity of David Burliuk, a famous avant-garde poet, less known as an artist.

Mikhail Larionov, Officer's Barber, 1907-1909.
Albertina Gallery, Vienna
https://othershores.rusimp.suFree Art. Italian Futurism from the Gianni Mattioli Collection
Gallery of European and American Art of the 19th and 20th Centuries, until 16 January 2022
We wrote about this exhibition in our summer selection of exhibitions. Now it has come to Moscow from St Petersburg.
Contemporary graphics from the collection of the Centre Pompidou. Florence & Daniel Guerlain Collection
Gallery of European and American Art XIX-XX centuries till January 30, 2022
Graphics, Modern ArtNo offence intended, but not everyone can appreciate the graphics. And the phrase 'Centre Pompidou' appeals to almost everyone, with a few exceptions. That's why we actively encourage you to practice on the masterpieces of 20th century art - they form a part of the Pompidou Centre's collection. There's a great chance of discovering new artists and falling in love with them.
https://pushkinmuseum.art/events/archive/2021/exhibitions/pompidou/index.php
Odd Convergences
The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, until 6 February 2022
The Pushkin Museum has redesigned the permanent exhibition and invited a star curator, who once did 'Moscow-Paris' at the above-mentioned Pompidou Museum. It is possible that the museum's management has spent the entire annual budget on this project, which in many ways resembles a farewell tour for Pink Floyd, or rather the 80s electronic pioneer Jean Michelle Jarre. However, opinions are divided: some praise Martin's talent for finding similarities as well as others assure us that the exhibition leaves you with the distinct impression that The Matrix III is no longer a masterpiece of the first two parts.
https://pushkinmuseum.art/events/archive/2021/exhibitions/martin/index.php?lang=ruWaiting horizon
Open collections at the Polytechnic Museum, until 31 December
The staff of the Polytechnic Museum is looking forward to the completion of the massive restoration of the museum's historic building on Lubyanka Square for a number of years. The staff of the Polytechnic Museum is looking forward to the completion of the massive restoration of the museum's historic building on Lubyanka Square for a number of years. This is the reason for the title of the exhibition, which aims to present curious artefacts from the museum's collection in the genre of open-air storage. It will be especially relevant to young viewers who did not manage to catch the old halls and the exposition of the museum.
https://polymus.ru/ru/museum/news/waiting-horizon/

Lady Dior As Seen By
Ruarts Foundation, until 30 November
The foundation recently opened a new space and brought in an exhibition about the legendary Dior bag, which has been reinterpreted by equally famous contemporary artists.
https://www.dior.com/ru_ru/выставки/lady-dior-as-seen-by-moscou
Xenia Hausner. True Lies
GALLERY OF 19TH AND 20TH CENTURY EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN ART until 16 January 2022
A retrospective of one of the most famous and best-selling Austrian artists of our time, about whom we wrote earlier.
The exhibition of the Kandinsky Prize nominees
Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Petrovka, untill November 21
Video, Painting, Graphics, Installation, Mixed techniques
In the world of contemporary Russian art, the exhibition of the Kandinsky Prize nominees is a guarantor of quality and expert acclaim, no matter what the disillusioned establishment says. The Moscow Museum of Modern Art provides the halls of the historic building on Petrovka. It is curated by Irina Gorlova, who is also head of the newest trends department of the state Tretyakov Gallery. Of course, it's also true that many of the projects in the current exhibition have been seen before, and there are some questions about their "freshness". Nevertheless, for a full impression of the current state of artistic taste, it is highly recommended to visit it as well.
https://mmoma.ru/exhibitions/petrovka25/vystavka_nominantov_premii_kandinskogo1/
II Moscow Art Prize
Media Centre at Zaryadye, until 30 November
A year ago, the management of Park “Zaryadye” organised an award in the world of contemporary art and culture. The exhibition of nominees was also held to coincide with it. This is rather interesting alternative to the abovementioned exhibition of Kandinsky Prize nominees. The main difference is that the Moscow Prize is not just an initiative of the city authorities: the nominations include genres from theatre to contemporary music.
https://www.zaryadyepark.ru/schedule/137329/
Ivan Plusch. Plusch’s Theatre
Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Petrovka, untill January 22
The Moscow Museum of Modern Art is hosting a retrospective of a prominent hero of the contemporary art, Ivan Plyusch. This exhibition is curated by the equally distinguished Dmitry Ozerkov, who is responsible for contemporary art at the State Hermitage Museum. The title “Plusch’s Theatre” was suggested by the author, because it best expresses the development of artistic practice from painting to installation. To a certain extent, one can regard this exhibition as an artistic takeover of the museum's nine halls.
https://mmoma.ru/exhibitions/petrovka25/ivan_plyuw_teatr_plyuwa/
Ivan Plusch. Painting No. 4. 2012.
Thomas Demand. Mirror without memory
Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, until 30 January 2022
Garage continues to introduce the familiar and less familiar names of the foreign contemporary art. This time we have Thomas Demand, a graduate of the Dusseldorf Academy of Art, who has become a "reanimator" of the photography genre. The idea behind Demand's practice is to use press images and technical footage from the scene of certain events as a basis for reproducing those particular events on a 1:1 scale - out of cardboard and paper. Then these scenes are photographed and the layout is destroyed. The exhibition shows Thomas Demand's work in dialogue with three small films by Alexander Kluguet. Everything is put together in a design project by the Japanese architectural firm SANAA.
https://garagemca.org/ru/exhibition/thomas-demand
Anna Titova. The Amazing Journey of a Mischievous Boy
Vadim Sidur Museum, until 27 February 2022
Contemporary artist Anna Titova has made a solo project at the Vadim Sidur Museum, a platform for exactly this kind of exhibition. The project "The Amazing Journey of a mischievous boy" is tightly connected to the history of the museum, as the first part of the exhibition shows a kind of result of the artist's work with the Vadim Sidur archive. The second part is devoted to interaction with the self-organisation of the Perovo district. It was named after the tale by the Indian writer Vasamurthy, "The Amazing Journey of a mischievous boy". The idea is that a mischievous boy is reduced to the size of an ant, spends a day in the insect world and learns empathy - apparently, this is an allusion to the role of the museum in the life of the local community.
Nikita Alekseev. Closer to meaning
Multimedia Art Museum, until 5 December
As usual, the Multimedia Art Museum shows several exhibitions in the season, but we decided to highlight the retrospective by Nikita Alekseev. Nikita Alekseev was a sentimental version of Moscow Conceptualism. In the late 1970s Nikita Alekseev was one of the founders of MANI, the Moscow Archive of New Art. In 1982-1984, he set up the APTART gallery in a flat on Dmitry Ulianov Street - so-called "flat art", which was a place for personal exhibitions.
The Multimedia Art Museum is presenting the writer and artist's illustration series from the past three years. The artist died in March this year - so this exhibition should be seen as a monument.
https://mamm-mdf.ru/exhibitions/blije-k-smyislu/
New Elements
Laboratoria Art & Science Foundation, until 27 February 2022
Laboratoria Art & Science has managed to open a new exhibition, this time on New Elements, but again in the West Wing of the State Tretyakov Gallery. To some extent, we would like to consider this exhibition as the second part - the first was presented in the summer. Whereas the first part emphasised the biological DNA of contemporary science art, this time the artists were challenged to compare the real world and the computer environment, to look at nature as a kind of gigantic computer whose processes have been automated over the years of evolution.
Traditionally, artists came from all over the world - Japan, Great Britain, Germany, Argentina, Austria and Finland, including well-known celebrities like Thomas Saraceno and Thomas Feuerstein. We also recommend viewing the open horizons of the Polytechnic Museum as well as Tretyakov Gallery blockbusters.
https://www.tretyakovgallery.ru/exhibitions/o/new-elements
If you want more:
Pearls and mother-of-pearl
Darwin Museum, until 3 April 2022
The Darwin Museum is also worth visiting for the permanent exhibition, and the current exhibition is a good reason for that.
Other tree
Tsaritsyno, until 27 March 2022
About working with wood in the format of sculpture and everyday objects. For real lovers of material culture.
Kruzenshtern. Around the world
Historical Museum, until 14 February 2022
A fundamental exhibition about the traveller Ivan Fyodorovich Kruzenshtern as an extra opportunity to recall the format of severe journeys over thousands of kilometres.