Alexander Golovin. Fantasies of the Silver Age

28 March – 24 August 2014

State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. The exhibition included works from 23 museums and private collections: the Bakhrushin Theatre Museum, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg State Museum of Theatre and Music, Moscow Art Theatre Museum and others. Our collection online represents the objects of the Bakhrushin Theatre Museum. Alexander Golovin (1863–1930) — a Russian artist, author of decorative works, still lives and landscapes, portraitist and graphic artist. Ornament was his favorite plastic motif and the basis of his style. "Fine lace" was almost the main "actor" of his paintings. Golovin studied at Katkovsky Lyceum, from 1878 — at Polivanovskaya Gymnasium. In 1882–1889 he studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture: first at the architectural department (1881–1883), then at the painting department at the classes of Illarion Pryanishnikov, Vladimir Makovsky and Vasiliy Polenov. At the school he met Isaac Levitan, Konsantin Korovin, Abram Arkhipov, Ilya Ostroukhov, Mikhail Nesterov. Golovin started with paintings in the tradition of the Peredvizhniki. Due to the influence of the Abramtsevo artists' colony, he began to work in the field of the decorative and fine arts. At the end of 1890, Golovin created ceramic panels that have been decorating the Moscow Metropol Hotel. From 1899 at Vladimir Telyakovsky's invitation Golovin designed productions for the Bolshoi Theatre. In 1902 he moved to St. Petersburg, where he soon became the chief artist at the Directorate of the Imperial Theatres. He worked for the Alexandrinsky and Mariinsky theaters. Since then, Golovin has been deeply related to theatre history as one of the main reformers of stage design.