Oil paintings and sculptures created by five former presidents of St. Petersburg Institute for Painting, Sculpture and Architecture are on display at Shenzhen Art Museum. Most paintings were created between the 1940s and 1970s. Entry is free.
A painting on display.
A painting on display.
The institute was renamed several times since its founding in 1757. Initially called “St. Petersburg Academy of Arts,” it was founded by Ivan Shuvalov, the founder of the Imperial Moscow University.
Catherine the Great renamed it the Imperial Academy of Arts and commissioned a new building, completed 25 years later in 1789 by the Neva River. The academy promoted the neoclassical style and technique, and sent its promising students to European capitals for further study. Training at the academy was virtually required for artists to make successful careers.
In 1947, the institution was moved to Moscow, and much of its art collection was moved to the hermitage. The building in St. Petersburg was devoted to the Ilya Repin Leningrad Institute for Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, named in honor of Ilya Repin, one of Russia’s foremost realist artists. Since 1991 it has been called “St. Petersburg Institute for Painting, Sculpture and Architecture.”
A painting on display.
A painting on display.
A sculpture on display.
Dates: Until June 18
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Mondays
Venue: Shenzhen Art Museum, inside Donghu Park, Aiguo Road, Luohu District (罗湖区爱国路东湖公园内深圳美术馆)
Metro: Line 5 or 7 to Tai’an Station (太安站), Exit C and then take a taxi