Russian Icon Collection Has Introduced Its First Catalog of Antique Icons

Russian Icon Collection has introduced its first catalog titled "Russian Icons from the Mid-17th to the Early 20th Century: The Collection of Oleg Kushnirsky,” which was released by the publishing house “EKSMO.” The main objective of the project is to make valuable knowledge about the history of Russian icon painting available to a larger audience.

The catalog represents Oleg Kushnirskiy’s private collection of religious art and provides an important insight into Russian culture. According to Ilya Kushnirskiy, the director of Russian Icon Collection, “This collection was born out of a passion – a passion that was developing subtly and intensifying over time and eventually becoming a life mission and an inseparable part of its founder’s identity.”

The catalog follows the development of Russian religious painting tradition from the 17th to the early 20th century. The largest part of the forty-six works included in the catalog represents traditional Russian icons, with most of them originating from the Vladimir province, the center of Russian religious art where unique painting traditions were formed through the centuries. The collection features icons created in Palekh, Mstyora, Kholuy, Guslitsy, and Vetka, as well as Central Russia. Small format icons take up a significant section of the catalog. Many of them depict classic motifs, including scenes of the Resurrection, religious holidays, miracles, images of the Virgin Mary, and saints.

Various esteemed scholars participated in the creation of the catalog. Sofia Birina, an art historian and art director of Russian Icon Collection, was the editor of the book. The descriptions and an academic article featured in the catalog were written by Anna Ivannikova who works for the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and specializes in 18-20th-century Russian icon painting. The art historian and professor at Chapman University Dr. Wendy Salmond and the Israeli sociologist and cultural expert Dr. Alek D. Epstein are authors of other articles included in the book.

During its publication process, the catalog received support from notable figures in the world of Russian icon art. Among them are the director of Moscow’s Museum of Russian Icon Nikolay Zadorozhny and the prominent icon collector Sergey Khodorkovskiy. The release of the book was also supported by the art logistics company Fine Art Shippers.

Nikolay Zadorozhny, the director of the Museum of Russian Icon, says: "Oleg Kushnirskiy relied on both his intuition and scientific criteria, working closely with art historians, icon painters, and restorers when building his collection. Thanks to this comprehensive approach, his collection is now able to accurately represent an important milestone in the development of Russian religious art – the late Russian icon."